Trades and the Workers

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 239, 29 December 1927, Page 11

Trades and the Workers

BOXWOOD

BY

The Wellington Tramways Union is at work preparing for a new agreement and is of course basing its claims on the Auckland Union’s conditions, which lead the Dominion at present as they have done for years. The 'Wellington agreement follows the Auckland pact at very close range, but it is hoped to bring the capital city abreast in the present wrangle. The following memorable clipping is from the Journal of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce:—“Success by one’s own efforts is rarely possible outside the professional field. Most successful men employ the skill of others to supplement their own, are willing to pay a reasonable price for the skill which they employ, and never whine about it.” Food Cheaper in Auckland The Government Statistician’s analysis of food prices for the Dominion shows that though the general level is low compared with prices abroad, the cheapest towns for food are Auckland and Christchurch. Taking average prices in 25 selected towns of New Zealand in July, 1914, as 1,000, the level of food prices in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, were represented in August of 1927 by the numbers, 1,415, 1,451, 1,431, Auckland is cheapest for meat, and Christchurch for groceries and dairy produce. Hairdressers’ Holidays Holiday time usually produces its crop of arguments and one is on now in the hairdressing business. Under most awards January 1 and 2 are classed as holidays. A fine point has arisen this year owing to January 1 falling on a Sunday. Holidays falling on Sunday are observed on the Monday, but there is no regulation that holidays falling on Monday shall be observed on Tuesday. It is reported that a few hairdressers are intending to open on Tuesday next, so that some of the assistants will be brought back to work. It is probable that the point will be brought before the Arbitration Court and the decision will clear up an interesting and debatable point. Labour Disputes Investigation There have been no further developments in the gas employees’ dispute. Everything is quiescent during the holidays, but a chairman for the Disputes Committee will probably be appointed soon and the argument will begin again. It is not so many years since the days of the high cost of living bonus, when after a long conference the employers were as adamant and the ballot resulted in favour of a strike in the works. Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., was chairman on that occasion and when the 24 hours’ notice was nearly up he had a lively time getting the company to yield. There is some very good machinery in the Labour Disputes Investigation Act and it provides a splendid refuge for the employees in the primary industries if they are thrown out of the Arbitration Act at the end of the present award. Release From Arbitration Not only in New Zealand are the pastoral industries seeking to evade their liabilities under arbitration awards. The Queensland Graziers’ Association and the Cattle-growers’ Association were sparring for freedom to cut back the hard-earned advantages of the workers early this month, but the State Arbitration Court threw them out in a heap. They asked the suspension of the awards for 12 months or until some improvement in their management of the industry produced better results. In some cases they said there would be no reduction in rates of pay, but in other cases there would have to be.

The court, in refusing the application, stated that at no time had this award been suspended since its inception in 1918. Even in 1922, when the price of meat was much lower than at present, the employers were satis-

fied that the employees should be placed on the harvester rate. The existing rate was only 2s a week more than the harvester rate. The court suggested that it might be prepared to suspend the award as to new employees engaged during the next six months so as to relieve unemployment, provided a guarantee was given that old hands would not be dismissed merely to make way for new hands. Employers said that they would be glad to obtain this measure of relief, but refused to give the required guarantee. Blow at Unionism The new Commonwealth Arbitration Act over the Tasman is creating almost as mtich fuss as our own misbuilt Act did until it was mercifully put away. It is construed as a blow at trades unionism through the requiring of a secret ballot before any direct action, and everyone who knows the trades unionist will admit the injustice of trying to get a majority for any decision when half the union will not trouble to vote. The “Melbourne Argus” gives the following account of the Act from its introduction into the Canberra Parliament a fortnight ago. Important additions to the Commonwealth arbitration laws are proposed in a measure of which notice was given in the House of Representatives to-day by the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Stanley Bruce, and which will be advanced to the second reading stage to-morrow. Among the chief objects of the Bill will be the restoration of control of unions to members by means of the secret ballot, the extension of the system of industrial conciliation tribunals, the conferring of power on the Arbitration Court to enforce its decisions, and to exact penalties for disobedience, and the provision of machinery to prevent duplication and overlapping of the work of Commonwealth and State industrial authorities. The secret ballot provisions of the Amending Arbitration Bill, it is expected, will require only a small percentage of the members of an organisation to seek a ballot before the approval of the court can be obtained. Steps will be taken to have polls conducted under the supervision of the court at the expense of the Commonwealth. Explaining the amending legislation to a joint meeting of Nationalists and Country Party members to-day, Mr. Bruce said that an effort would be made to extend the attempts that had been made at successful conciliation before differences between employers and unions reached the stage of becoming disputes. It was proposed to create a series of industrial tribunals in the States to function generally as adjuncts to the Commonwealth Arbitration Court. Some time ago Mr. Bruce said that the plan would be more widely adopted if the innovation proved successful. Deciding Spheres of Court In deciding to avail itself of every power conferred on it under the Constitution to provide safeguards against industrial unrest, the Ministry proposes also to invest the Commonwealth Court with the right of deciding what matters should come before it for decision, and which questions, as purely State matters, should be left to purely State tribunals. Obstacles will be placed in the way of organisations using one court as a means of obtaining increased concessions from a court in another jurisdiction, and an attempt will be made to confine organisations to the court to which the nature of their industry and their grievance binds them. The Bill will contain other clauses designed to remove the possibility of duplication and overlapping of Commonwealth and State Arbitration Courts.

Mr. Bruce told the parties that, in the opinion of the Ministry, compulsory arbitration would be shown to be an effective means for the promotion of industrial peace when the projected amendments became law, and that it would be demonstrated that industrial disputes could be settled within the domain of law in the same way as civil and commercial disputes were determined.