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5. Effect of these proposals would be to establish a standard working day of 8 hours for women and young persons with varying periods allowed where necessary for adjustment and adaption by employers. We should not like to see pha ng of overtime to continue beyond end of 1968, i.e. at end of transitional period we should like to see an eight hour working day for all women and young persons in industry plus maximum of 6 hours overtime a week up to a maximum of 100 hours per annum.
6. We are in agreement with Governor that this may be psychologically the right moment to take new steps on labour legislation. Preliminary comments are as follows:
(a) Paragraphs 8 (a) and (b) agreed.
(b) Presume paragraph 8 (c) refers to acts of
anti-union discrimination by employers. agreed.
If so
(c) Tightening of picketing laws agreed. (Provisions adopted elsewhere to deal with this point and (b) above are available here and will be sent to you urgently.)
(a) We would also add consideration of weekly day
of rest for all workers; minimum wage fixing legislation; protection of wages; fair wages clause in government contracts; factory laws to be extended to cover a wider spread of industrial undertakings and prosecutions provisions should relate to an offence in respect of each person illegally employed and not each undertaking. Ultimately protective
legislation should be extended to govern non- industrial undertakings.
7. We hope to be able to make available David Goodwin, ex-Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour, Singapore, who has carried out labour legislation reviews for us in Caribbean and Africa. He is at present in Malawi but will be available early June.
We would recommend one year attachment in first instance.
8. We regard strengthening of Labour Department as an essential part of whole programme. Goodwin would be valuable reinforcement in a number of ways, but what is position of Price and Bennett who are on contract? Strengthened inspector- ate will also be necessary. Grateful to receive Governor's proposals on this in due course. In this connection importance is attached to recommendation made in paragraph 7 of Foggon's report.
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Mr. de la Mare
Mr.
Bolland
Mr. Wilson Mr. Denson Mr. Foggon
Mr. D. Hawkins
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