§ 33. Mr. YEOasked whether a new procedure has been adopted to deal with complaints made by employers against employés; whether new special bodies have been established to decide whether such complaints should go before munitions tribunals; and, if so, what are the composition and scope of such bodies?
§ Mr. KELLAWAYSection 10 of the Munitions of War Act, 1917, provides that proceedings for a breach of the rules approved for controlled establishments shall not be instituted except by the Minister or by the Admiralty or by a person acting on his or their behalf. I have accordingly arranged that the controlled establishments with which I am concerned and which are not authorised to act on my behalf should refer their complaints to the chief investigation officer of the Ministry for their area, and that he should submit the complaints for advice to the main enlistment complaints committee for the area. If that body recommend prosecution, the chief investigation officer is authorised to take proceedings on my behalf; if they do not, the case is referred to the Ministry for further consideration. The enlistment complaints committees consist of representatives of the Ministry of Munitions, Admiralty and War Office, and an equal number of representatives of labour. They were originally established to deal with claims by workmen for protection from recruitment.