In the House of Commons on Monday there was a
dis- cussion on the grievances of unemployed insured persons under Part II. of the Insurance Act. Labour members protested that it was a hardship for unemployed insured persons to have to attend Labour Exchanges; but Mr. J. Id. Robertson, speaking for the Government, said that if unem- ployed trade unionists were not required to make known the fact of their unemployment at the Exchanges non-union men would get an advantage over them in obtaining employment. As regards the complaint that there was delay in authorizing the payment of unemployed benefits by trade unions, Mr. Robertson said that the unions need not wait for authoriza- tion. He next dealt with the grievance about the forms issued to employers for recording the misconduct of workmen, and said that this means of proving whether an unemployed man was genuinely unemployed, or merely dismissed for mis- conduct, could not be disnensed with. He admitted the justice of the complaints by those who sometimes come under the Act and are sometimes outside it, and said that the operation of Part IL of the Act ought to be extended as soon as possible.
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