CHAPTER 53.

An Act to provide for the Settlement of Labour

HIS

Disputes.

(Assented to April 8, 1926.)

IS MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Alberta, enacts as follows:

SHORT TITLE.

1. This Act may be cited as "The Labour Disputes Act.”

INTERPRETATION.

Short title

Definitions

2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires(a) "Minister" shall mean the Minister of Public Works; Minister (b) "Department" shall mean the Department of Public Department Works;

(c) "Employer" shall mean any person, company or cor- Employer poration employing ten or more persons, or any number of such persons, companies or corporations, acting together, or who in the opinion of the Minister have interests in common;

(d) "Employee" shall mean any person employed by an Employee employer to do any skilled or unskilled manual or clerical work for hire or reward in any industry to which this Act applies;

employer not

lockout,

(dd) A lockout or strike shall not, nor, where application Employee or for a Board is made within thirty days after the dis- to cease to missal, shall any dismissal, cause any employee to be such for cease to be an employee, or an employer to cease to strike, etc. be an employer within the meaning and for the purposes of this Act;

(e) "Dispute" or "industrial dispute" shall mean any Dispute
dispute or difference between an employer and one
or more of his employees, as to matters or things.
affecting or relating to work done or to be done by
him or them, or as to the privileges, rights and
duties of employers or employees (not involving any
such violation thereof as constitutes an indictable of-
fence); and, without limiting the general nature of
the above definition, shall include all matters re-
lating to-

(i) the wages, allowance or other remuneration of
employees, or the price paid or to be paid in
respect of employment;

Lockout

Strike

Board

Application

Registrar

Prescribed

Trade Union

(ii) the hours of employment, sex, age, qualification or status of employees, and the mode, terms and conditions of employment;

(iii) the employment of children or any person or persons or class of persons, or the dismissal of or refusal to employ any particular person or persons or class of persons;

(iv) claims on the part of an employer or any employee as to whether and, if so, under what circumstances, preference of employment should or should not be given to one class over another of persons being or not being members of labour or other organizations, British subjects or aliens;

(v) materials supplied and alleged to be bad, unfit
or unsuitable, or damage alleged to have been
done to work;

(vi) any established custom or usage, either gener-
ally or in the particular district affected;
(vii) the interpretation of an agreement or a clause
thereof;

(f) "Lockout" (without limiting the nature of its mean-
ing) shall mean a closing of a place of employment
or a suspension of work, or a refusal by an employer
to continue to employ any number of his employees
in consequence of a dispute, done with a view to
compelling his employees, or to aid another employer
in compelling his employees, to accept terms of em-
ployment;

(g) "Strike" (without limiting the nature of its meaning) shall mean the cessation of work by a body of employees acting in combination, or a concerted refusal or a refusal under a common understanding of any number of employees to continue to work for an employer, in consequence of a dispute, done as a means of compelling their employer, or to aid other employees in compelling their employer, to accept terms of employment;

(h) "Board" shall mean a Board of Conciliation and Investigation established under the provisions of this Act;

(i) "Application" shall mean an application for the ap-
pointment of a Board under the provisions of this
Act;

(j) "Registrar" shall mean the Registrar of Boards of
Conciliation and Investigation under this Act;
(k) "Prescribed" shall mean prescribed by this Act, or
by any rules or regulations made thereunder;
(1) "Trade union" or "union" shall mean any organiza-
tion of employees formed for the purpose of regu-
lating relations between employers and employees.

APPLICATION OF ACT.

of Act

3. This Act shall only apply to labour disputes within the Application exclusive legislative jurisdiction of the Province.

ADMINISTRATION.

4. The Minister shall have the general administration of Minister to this Act.

have administration of Act

of Registrar

5. The Lieutenant Governor in Council shall appoint a Appointment Registrar of Boards of Conciliation and Investigation, who shall have the powers and perform the duties prescribed.

6. The office of Registrar may be held either separately or in conjunction with any other office in the public service, and in the latter case the Registrar may, if the Lieutenant Governor in Council thinks fit, be appointed, not by name, but by reference to such other office, whereupon the person who for the time being holds such office, or performs its duties, shall by virtue thereof be the Registrar.

BOARDS OF CONCILIATION AND INVESTIGATION.
CONSTITUTION OF BOARDS.

disputes to

Conciliation

7. Wherever any dispute exists between an employer and Reference of any of his employees, and the parties thereto are unable to Boards of adjust it, either of the parties to the dispute may make ap- and plication to the Minister for the appointment of a Board of Conciliation and Investigation, to which Board the dispute may be referred under the provisions of this Act.

Investigation

appoint

application

8.-(1) Whenever, under this Act, an application is made Minister to in due form for the appointment of a Board of Conciliation Boards on and Investigation, the Minister shall, within fifteen days from the date at which the application is received, establish such Board under his hand and seal of office, if satisfied that the provisions of this Act apply.

ment of

final

(2) The decision of the Minister as to the granting or Decision of refusal of a Board shall be final, and when a Board is granted to appointby the Minister, it shall be conclusively deemed to be author- Board to be ized by and to be in accordance with the provisions of this Act, and no order shall be made or process or proceeding had or taken in any court to question the granting or refusal of a Board, or to review, prohibit or restrain the establishment of such Board or the proceedings thereof.

9.-(1) Every Board shall consist of three members, who Number of shall be appointed by the Minister.

(2) Of the three members of the Board one shall be appointed on the recommendation of the employer and one on the recommendation of the employees (the parties to the dispute), and the third on the recommendation of the members so chosen.

members on Board