44
EMPLOYMENT
began to extend the practice to Nigeria. A few workers emigrated to join their relatives in the United States, Canada, Australia, and countries in Europe and South America.
Agricultural workers, recruited by the North Borneo Govern- ment in 1959 under a special scheme, did not settle down well and many were repatriated before the end of the initial two years' period.
All contracts for emigrant manual workers are approved by the Labour Department and certain procedures are followed which conform with international labour conventions. During 1960, 1,584 contracts for emigrant manual workers were approved, compared with 1,875 in 1959.
WAGES AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Wages. Wages are calculated on monthly, daily, or hourly bases or on piece rates. It is customary to pay many workers, if not on monthly rates, at weekly or fortnightly intervals. Supervisors, technicians, and employees of public utility companies are normally paid monthly. Most industrial workers engaged in production processes are on piece rates which are identical for both women and men. Some semi-skilled operatives and most unskilled labour are engaged on daily rates.
The tendency at the end of 1959 for wages to rise because of shortages of labour, especially of skilled workmen, became obvious during the earlier months of '1960. For the first time since the unsettled period immediately after the second world war there were widespread and organized activities to seek wage increases. In December 1959 Government announced the acceptance of the recommendations of the 1959 Salaries Commission and the intro- duction of new rates of pay for civil servants. Shortly after Chinese New Year demands for higher wages were first made in industrial and commercial firms, and they continued in increasing volume during the first half of 1960. In some cases the demands were also for improved working hours and other conditions of service. Some employers granted wage increases comparable with those given by Government without negotiation, but in most cases compromise settlements were reached after collective bargaining. In general,