Wednesday, May 17, 1967

will be taken this year toward that end. New rules of rocedure under The Industrial Relations Act, and new rules on voting procedures un er the same Act, will be re- sented to the Lieutenant-Govemor-in—Council for approval. The Rules of Proc ure have never been formalized and no rules on voting procedures exist. This will pro- vide for more smoothly functioning procedures in this area and will eliminate the confusion and uncertainty of the past. It is hoped by the Department that Work- men’s Compensation will cover broader areas in the near future and the Board will be extending its effort in this direction, as well as stepping up its efforts in safety education. A new Industrial Safety Supervisor will be a pointed shortly to the Workmen’s Compensation Board to co-ordinate the new In ustrial Safety Program being devised by the Board. It is expected that The Labour Management Relations Council, which now has its first Labour Management Conference behind it, will ex- plore wider fields during the coming year and will continue to receive every assis- tance and encouragement from the Department while at the same time the Council will develop without interference. We have absolute confidence in the wisdom and sincerity of the Council. At the Labour Management Council held recentl it was quite apparent that there is a lack of knowledge on the part of both la ur and management on the roles, responsibilities and other functions not only in their own groups, but also with respect to each other’s int of view. What I think is needed in this province is an Industrial Relations ntre where courses could be held in industrial relations, and information disseminated and research undertaken. I sug- gest, that in the area of roposed co-operation between St. Dunstan’s University and Prince of Wales College t at a Joint Centre be set up which could be a first step in co-operation between the two institutions, and at the same time the Colleges would be providing a much needed public service and relating themselves to the community. Our Department would be only too happy to assist in the setting u of such an Industrial Centre and I am sure that it will receive the wholehea co-operation and assistance from labour and management groups.

In the matter of Trades Training, our Apprenticeship Division will continue the Apprenticeship and Improver Training. The new Adult Occupational 'h'aining Program, legislated by the federal government, will provide training and tuition al- lowances and should prove to be more beneficial in most aspects. The one exception is in cases requiring apprentices to be in the labour field at least three years to qualify for allowances, whereas in former years it was only one year. This program stil is not known in its full import but adjustments will be gradually ironed out.

With respect to training for tradesmen in general, the day is coming in the very near future when all tradesmen will have to be certified and obtain their tech- nical qualifications before practising their trade. The time when a person could, without formal training, set himself up as a plumber, electrician, motor mechanic. etc., is fast coming to a close. The modern tradesman will have to meet stiff and more complex standards in the changing world of construction and the services trades. The Manpower Program recognizes this fact and it is geared to train and retrain tradesmen to g certain standard. As a result, the tradesman qualifies for better ay, the employer knows the quality of his tradesmen, and the consumer is

seen of jobs done in a workman-like manner and worthy of the money he pays for the job.

The wage structure in this province needs careful examination and analysis. It is a complex one, particularly in a province which is not heavily industrialized. The Department intends to conduct a wage survey to determine what the range of wage scales in this province really are. Statistics are not available and we cannot depend on rumour; in order to get a pro er picture of the situation, we must get such statistics. When this information is ta ulated, then a wage conference can be con- vened for interested parties to exp‘lore ways and means to upgrade wage levels. The definite action indicated will be ta en. The question of the level of wages id does not have a simple answer as there are so many factors affecting wages. ere is a definite relationship between wages and productivity, but productivi involves fac- tors of management, the supervision of employees, the efficiency of p ant and equip- ment, and the training and efficiency of employees. Productivity means the most efficient use of resources both physical and human, and using them to produce at the lowest possible real cost. The primary responsibility, and I would like to repeat that again, the primary responsibility for raising productivity rests with management, but the active and willing co-operation of the workers is also indispensable. The

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