I move:—
Before Section 7 to insert a new section as follows:—
"7.—Every claim for the payment of a gratuity or of compensation arising under the Third Schedule to the Principal Act shall be determined by the amalgamated company or on appeal by the standing arbitrator or board of arbitrators in accordance with the provisions of the said Third Schedule as amended by Section 2 of this Act if the date of the happening of the event giving rise to the claim occurred before the 26th day of March, 1926, or in accordance with the provisions of the said Third Schedule as amended by this Act if the event giving rise to the claim occurs after the 25th day of March, 1926."
The effect of this amendment is that the Bill will apply to men with short service who became redundant on the 26th March. In all other cases the Bill is to apply since the introduction. At the beginning of the proceedings before the arbitrator the company expressed objection to expediting the hearing of cases. Answers which should have been delivered within ten days were not delivered until long afterwards. The company got extensions to three
Section 8. To add at the end of to participate in the sittings of the arbitrator twice weekly, while there was work for a whole week. The result was that cases were held up for many months. If the arbitrator had been allowed to proceed a great many cases would have been decided that have been held over. It is not fair to men who were considered redundant, say, in February last year, whose cases were held over, that they should now come in. If the arbitrator was allowed to proceed, as he could have done but for the delay of the company——