§ (1) The wages paid by any persons in receipt of subsidy under this Act to persons employed by them in connection with the carriage by air of passengers or goods, and the conditions of employment of persons so employed, shall, unless agreed upon by the employer and by organisations representative of the persons employed, or by a joint industrial council representing them, not be less favourable to the persons employed than the wages which would be payable and the conditions which would have to be observed under a contract which complied with 322 the requirements of any resolution of the House of Commons for the time being in force applicable to contracts of Government Departments, and if any dispute arises as to what wages ought to be paid, or what conditions ought to be observed in accordance with this section, it shall, if not otherwise disposed of, be referred by the Secretary of State to the industrial court for settlement.
§ (2) Where any matter is referred to the industrial court under this section the court, in arriving at its decision, shall have regard to any determination that may be brought to its notice relating to the wages or conditions of service of persons employed in a capacity similar to that of the persons to whom the reference relates, being a determination contained in a decision of a. joint industrial council, conciliation board, or other similar body, or in an agreement between organisations representative of employers and workpeople.
§ (3) Where any award has been made by the industrial court upon a dispute referred to that court under this section then, as from the date of the award or from such later date as the court may direct, it shall be an implied term of the contract between the employer and workers to whom the award applies that the rate of wages to be paid or the conditions of employment to be observed under the contract shall, until varied in accordance with the provisions of this section, be in accordance with the award.—[Mr. Hardie.]
§ Brought up, and read a First time.
§ 9.29 p.m.
§ Mr. HARDIEI beg to move, "That the Clause be read a Second time."
If the Government would give some indication of what their attitude is to this Clause it might save time. The Clause is in three sections. The first part relates to wages, the second part refers to industrial courts, and the third part deals with awards. Wherever an award is given by the industrial court a guarantee is given to the workers that the award shall comply with resolutions that have gone through the House from time to time. If the Under-Secretary of State will give some indication whether he is likely or not to accept this Clause I will resume my seat.
§ 9.30 p.m.
§ Sir P. SASSOONThe Clause proposed is identical, except for necessary verbal modifications, with Section 23 of the recently passed Sugar Industry (Reorganisation) Act, and there is no objection on the part of the Government to the insertion of this Clause in the Bill. It has always been our practice, in subsidy agreements, to include contract conditions 323 with regard to the payment of fair wages, not only to the workpeople of the company employed in this country, but also to those employed abroad. If this Clause is accepted and passed into law, future subsidy agreements will contain a condition based on this Clause, but will also provide for the payment of fair wages to workpeople employed by the subsidised company oversea.
§ Clause read a Second time, and added to the Bill.