§ 27. Mr. Awberyasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that the award of improved salaries to labour grade officers granted by the Malta Arbitration Tribunal in December last has not yet been implemented, that the dispute which led up to this arbitration continued for six years, that the delay is creating uncertainty about legitimate pension rights, and destroying faith in the industrial machinery; and if he will take steps to operate the award immediately.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThis award was implemented in full on 5th June.
§ Mr. AwberyIs not a delay of six years in dealing with an industrial dispute sufficient to break the patience of a Job? Are we not by this delay doing more to destroy the negotiating machinery than by anything else we could do? It provokes men in a position such as this to strike and to destroy the industrial machinery.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI am one of the Jobs in this case. The dispute arose during the life of the old Maltese Government. It was not until the Governor took over the administration of Malta that the matter went to arbitration.
§ Mr. AwberyBut the award was given in December of last year.