§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the text of the resolution concerning minimum wages passed by the International Labour Organisation third tripartite technical meeting for hotels, restaurants and similar establishments in December 1983, together with any amendments which were proposed; and if he will set out Her Majesty's Government's attitude to the resolution and amendments.
§ Mr. GummerThe text of the resolution as adopted by the meeting is
The Third Tripartite Technical Meeting for Hotels, restaurants and Similar Establishments having been convened by the Governing Body of the International Labour Office, and Having met in Geneva from 6 to 15 December 1983, Considering the content of the Minimum Wage-Fixing Machinery Convention, 1928 (No. 26) and the Minimum Wage Fixing Convention, 1970 (No. 131.), Considering that in many regions the hotel, catering and tourism sector can be considered as a "trade … in which no arrangements exist for the effective regulation of wages by collective agreement or otherwise and wages are exceptionally low", Considering that convention No. 26 provides that "before the machinery is applied in a trade or part of a trade, representatives of the employers and workers concerned … shall be consulted" and that "the employers and workers concerned shall be associated in the operation of the machinery … in equal numbers and on equal terms", Considering that to date 96 member States have ratified Convention No. 26, Adopts, this fifteenth day of December 1983, the following resolution:The Third Tripartite Technical Meeting for Hotels, Restaurants and Similar Establishments invites the Governing Body of the International Labour Office to continue drawing the attention of the member countries to the ratification of Convention No. 26.The Government understand that the resolution is based on a draft originally submitted by the workers' group to a small steering committee where it was discussed and amended before being submitted to the tripartite technical meeting, but the amendments considered by the steering committee were not submitted to the meeting and they were consequently not available to the Government. The resolution as drafted by the steering committee was 558W adopted by the meeting by consensus. It has yet to be placed before the governing body of the International Labour Office, and until it has been, it will not be officially drawn to the attention of member states.
The Government note that the resolution was adopted at a meeting made up of representatives of Governments, employers and workers and that it recognises that ratification of ILO conventions is a matter for individual member states.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether Her Majesty's Government intend to denounce International Labour Organisation conventions 26 and 99.
§ Mr. GummerThe Government have at present no plans to denounce International Labour conventions Nos. 26 and 99 concerning the creation of minimum wage fixing machinery and minimum wage fixing machinery in agriculture respectively.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many establishments were prosecuted for contravention of wages orders in each of the past three years to the latest date.
§ Mr. GummerThe number of employers prosecuted by the Wages Inspectorate for offences under the Wages Councils Act 1979 were 10 in 1981, seven in 1982 and two in 1983.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list, from information which is available to him, the European Economic Community and Commonwealth countries which have adopted International Labour Organisation conventions Nos. 26 and 99.
§ Mr. GummerI shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.