Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment. Let me move an amendment and say at the same time that I did hear the minister's answer, but I would still like to have this amendment. I find his proposal interesting, if there were no amendment.
It reads as follows:
That clause 10(c) be amended by adding at the end: "or concludes with the combination that appears most equitable based on the respective final positions of the parties".
If I may add a few words on the exact wording of the amendment, it preserves the final offer and requires the arbitrator to choose between the union's offer or the employer's or to determine a position in between the two which seems more equitable to him. But he does not have the mandate to go beyond that. This is very different from arbitration where the arbitrator has complete freedom.
In arbitration, the arbitrator could decide on 85 cents or 59 cents. He is free. Of course pressure is put on him, but in this case, it is between the two elements of the final offer. This means that pressure on the two parties would continue in a way that either of them could hope to be the winner.
That is why we are presenting this amendment and we think that it preserves the labour minister's ability to act later and allows for use of the best conditions in the final offer. Under these conditions we cannot say that the final offer was tried, because everyone in all universities will say that the previous conditions were not such that the final offer could be judged.