§ 1. Mr. ALBERYasked the Minister of Labour whether there is at present any international agreement as to what constitutes sweated labour; and if any negotiations have taken place with a view to-finding a definition?
§ The MINISTER of LABOUR (Miss Bondfield)No, Sir. There is, however, a convention concerning the creation of minimum wage fixing machinery adopted by the International Labour Organisation in 1928. Under this Convention, each country which ratifies it undertakes to create or maintain machinery whereby minimum rates of wages can be fixed for workers employed in trades or parts of trades (and in particular in home-working trades) in which no arrangements exist for the effective regulation 2050 of wages by collective agreement or otherwise and where wages are exceptionally low, but each State is free to determine the trades or parts of trades in which minimum wage fixing machinery shall be applied.
§ Mr. ALBERYCan the right hon. Lady add anything to that statement which will show the workers of this country that any real progress has been made in this matter since the Labour Government was in Office in 1924?