§ Mr. Nabarroasked the Minister of Labour how a catering wages board or a wages council is constituted; what procedure is required to be adopted by such a board or council before submitting wages proposals to him; and what recourse is had when proposals are submitted to him.
§ Mr. WatkinsonA catering wages board or a wages council is constituted of not more than three independent members, one of whom is chairman, and members in equal numbers representing employers and workers in relation to whom the board or council operates. Before appointing an employers' or workers' representative the Minister is required to consult any organisations appearing to him to represent employers or workers concerned. Before submitting proposals to the Minister for the making of an order a catering wages board or a wages council is required to publish its proposals and to allow a period of not less than 21 days in the case of a catering wages board or 14 days in the case of a wages council within which written representations may be sent to the board or council.
The board or council is required to consider any written representations made to it within the specified period and it may then submit the proposals to the Minister either without amendment or with such amendments as it thinks fit having regard to the representations. When the Minister receives proposals duly submitted to him he is required to make an order giving effect to the proposals, but he may refer the proposals back to the board or council, in which event the board or council is required to reconsider its proposals having regard to any observations made by the Minister and may re-submit the proposals to the Minister either without amendment or with such amendments as it thinks fit having regard to those observations. The Minister cannot amend the proposals or approve them in part.
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§ Sir W. Smithersasked the Minister of Labour if, in view of the Tenth Annual Report of the Catering Wages Commission, he will take steps to disband the commission and so allow caterers freedom to arrange conditions of service with those whom they wish to employ.
§ Mr. WatkinsonNo. Although, in the the Report referred to, the Commission draw attention to certain limitations of the Catering Wages Act, 1943, they make no suggestion that conditions of service in the catering industry should cease to be governed by wages orders based on proposals made to my right hon. and learned Friend by the wages boards which have been established on their recommendation.