INDUSTRIAL UNIONS

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19887, 16 May 1936, Page 8

INDUSTRIAL UNIONS

REGISTRATION QUESTION. MINISTERIAL EXPLANATION. THE RESTRICTIVE DATE. (By Telegrapn.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Saturday. The Minister of Labour, the lion. 11. T. Armstrong, to-day drew attention to a point in the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill which appears to be difficult of understanding to those not familiar with the intricacies of the legislation which he has had before Parliament. The bill as introduced, said Mr Armstrong, contained a provision that after Ihe passing of the 'Bill no new industrial union would be registered if there was. in the same industrial district an existing registered industrial union of trade union to which members of the applicant society could properly belong. There was a proviso for an exception to be made if the existing industrial union or trade union concurred in the new unio'n being granted registration. At a later stage of the Bill this clause was altered in two respects after the consideration of Information received. The power of concurrence in the registration of the new union was transferred from the existing union to the Minister and reference in this connection to trade unions was restricted to trade unions registered as such before May 1, 1936. Similar restriction to the recognition of trade unions registered before May 1, 1936, was Inserted also in the compulsory unionism clause. How Confusion Arose. “ Correspondence being received by me indicates that the confusion has arisen possibly because the published explanations of the amendment have not sufficiently emphasised firstly, the difference between the industrial unions and trade unions, and, secondly, that reference to May Ist, 1936, applies only to trade unions,” added the Minister. ” Trade unions are not registered by the Department of Labour but by the Friendly Societies Department. Provision for them to have recognition was inserted in the first place only to ensure that those which had been in existence for a considerable time should be assured of recognition, but it was found during the passage of the Bill that many new organisations were applying for registration under the Trade Unions Act with the obvious intention of evading the compulsory unionism provisions of the Bill In order to counter this but yet to preserve the original intention of granting recogilion to previously existing trade unions the restrictive date of May Ist, 1936, was inserted. The main purpose of this explanation is therefore to make it clear that reference to May Ist, 1936, in the Bill has no application whatever to the industrial unions registered uder the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Bill.”