§ 19 and 20. Mr. Tilneyasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) what discussions he has had with the East African High Commission Association of Professional, Technical and Executive Officers; if he is satisfied that the future of overseas civil servants serving in the East Africa High Commission is secure; and whether, on any fundamental change in conditions of service, members of Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service will be given the option to retire on compensation;
§ (2) whether, after the grant of independence to Tanganyika, the staff of the East Africa High Commission will be required to serve in the newly independent territory.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodI had discussions on the future position of East Africa High Commission staff with representatives of the staff associations in February. I am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT the text of an agreed communiqué issued to the Press after the discussions.
I fully understand and sympathise with the Staff Side's natural desire for an early statement but, since the shape of the future relationship which may be possible between an independent Tanganyika and the interterritorial organisation is to be discussed in London in June, I am unable at present to make a final announcement on the future of the staff in relation to employment in Tanganyika.
§ Mr. TilneyHas my right hon. Friend's attention been called to the deplorable and untrue statement of the publicity secretary of the Tanganyika African National Union that the British are enemies of the Africans? Is he aware of the damage to morale which that untrue statement may cause? Because of the vital importance of keeping the High Commission in being, will he consider consulting the representatives of the staff pari passu with the June consultations?
§ Mr. MacleodI think it right to consult them, and I think that it would be right after the June consultations have taken place. I entirely agree that a most untrue statement was made, but the statement on which I prefer to rely is the categorical assurance given by Mr. Nyerere, the Prime Minister of Tanganyika, and I will print this as part of the White Paper. It is an assurance about matters which were raised by the East Africa High Commission staff.
§ Following is the communiqué:
§ Talks between the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Mr. Iain Macleod) and officials and representatives of both the Official and Staff Sides of the three Administrations of the East Africa High Commission, have been conducted during the past week. They included discussion on the future position of High Commission staff after self-government and eventual independence in Tanganyika.
§ The delegation of the staff associations represented that the attainment of internal self-government by one territory was a significant political change so fundamentally affecting the High Commission staff as to justify the introduction of a compensation scheme under which High Commission officers would have the right to choose whether to leave without losing their pension and compensation rights or whether to continue in service. To meet the needs of the situation, however, they put forward a scheme which provided, under safeguards, for High Commission officers to continue to work as at present in Tanganyika during its period of full internal self-government but not during its period of full independence.
§ The Secretary of State agreed that the High Commission did not fall precisely into the pattern of compensation principles that had been devised primarily for territorial Governments. He confirmed that he would feel it right that there should be a general compensation scheme for High Commission staff not later than the date when the second of the three constituent territories became independent. He added that constitutional changes might lead to consultation with the authorities concerned on the possibility of the introduction of a general compensation scheme even before then.
§ At the present stage, it was not possible to forecast what changes would take place in the constitution of the High Commission when Tanganyika became independent, nor what 1579 precisely the effect of such changes would be on the staff of the High Commission and his own responsibility for them. But if the changes justified a compensation scheme, appropriate proposals for one would be made. He did not feel able at present to pronounce finally on the Staff Side's claim that they should as a matter of principle not be required to work in an independent territory in which Her Majesty's Government had no jurisdiction or control.
§ He thought the position would be clearer after the March Constitutional Conference in Dar-es-Salaam when among other things the relationship of Tanganyika to the High Commission in the future would naturally be discussed. At the Conference, arrangements would also have to be worked out for the continuation of the High Commission services in Tanganyika, during the period of internal self-government. It would, of course, be necessary to take fully into account at that time the need to make suitable arrangements to safeguard the rights and general conditions of service of High Commission staff, to which he attached particular importance.
§ The Secretary of State also recognised that the position of the staff would be affected by any further proposals for the localisation of the High Commission service which might, for example, result from the report on this subject by Sir Richard Ramage. That report would, he understood, shortly be presented to the authorities of the High Commission and if as a result of it a policy was adopted of increased localisation in such a way as to affect existing service rights in respect of career prospects, this would necessitate the introduction of a limited compensation scheme appropriate to the circumstances. He added that something of a similar nature was presently being considered in Uganda.
§ While for reasons that he had explained to the delegates, the Secretary of State felt that it was not possible at present to be specific about either the timing or the extent of any compensation scheme until the future developments in both the constitutional and the service fields could be seen more clearly, he fully sympathised with the Staff Side's need of a clear understanding on their future. He hoped that in the light of developments in the constitutional and service fields a detailed programme could be drawn up and he undertook that he would ask the appropriate authorities in East Africa to consider the matter further in consultation with himself as soon as possible after the outcome of the March conference, and that there would then be further discussions with the Staff Associations in which representatives of the Colonial Office would take part.