Conciliation Service and Mediation of Labor Disputes.
§ 95-32. Declaration of policy.
It is hereby declared as the public policy of this State that the best interests of the people of the State are served by the prevention or prompt settlement of labor disputes; that strikes and lockouts and other forms of industrial strife, regardless of where the merits of the controversy lie, are forces productive ultimately of economic waste; that the interests and rights of the consumers and the people of the State, while not direct parties thereto, should always be considered, respected and protected; and that the conciliation and voluntary mediation of such disputes under the guidance and supervision of a governmental agency will tend to promote permanent industrial peace and the health, welfare, comfort and safety of the people of the State. To carry out such policy, the necessity for the enactment of the provisions of this Article is hereby declared as a matter of legislative determination. (1941, c. 362, s. 1.)
The provisions of this Article shall apply to all labor disputes in North Carolina. (1941, c. 362, s. 2.)
§ 95-34. Administration of Article.
The administration of this Article shall be under the general supervision of the Commissioner of Labor of North Carolina. (1941, c. 362, s. 3.)
§ 95-35. Conciliation service established; personnel; removal; compensation.
There is hereby established in the Department of Labor a conciliation service. The Commissioner of Labor may appoint such employees as may be required for the consummation of the work under this Article, prescribe their duties and fix their compensation, subject to existing laws applicable to the appointment and compensation of employees of the State of North Carolina. Any member of or employee in the conciliation service may be removed from office by the Commissioner of Labor, acting in his discretion. (1941, c. 362, s. 4.)
§ 95-36. Powers and duties of Commissioner and conciliator.
Upon his own motion in an existent or imminent labor dispute, the Commissioner of Labor may, and, upon the direction of the Governor, must order a conciliator to take such steps as seem expedient to effect a voluntary, amicable and expeditious adjustment and settlement of the differences and issues between employer and employees which have precipitated or culminated in or threaten to precipitate or culminate in such labor dispute.
The conciliator shall promptly put himself in communication with the parties to such controversy, and shall use his best efforts, by mediation, to bring them to agreement.
The Commissioner of Labor, any conciliator or conciliators and all other employees of the Commissioner of Labor engaged in the enforcement and duties prescribed by this Article, shall not be compelled to disclose to any administrative or judicial tribunal any information relating to, or acquired in the course of their official activities under the provisions of this Article, nor shall any reports, minutes, written communications, or other documents or copies of documents of the Commissioner of Labor and the above employees pertaining to such information be subject to subpoena: Provided, that the Commissioner of Labor, any conciliator or conciliators and all other employees of the Commissioner of Labor engaged in the enforcement of this Article, may be required to testify fully in any examination, trial, or other proceeding in which the commission of a crime is the subject of inquiry. (1941, c. 362, s. 5; 1949, c. 673.)