4.5
bear some definite relationship to the national agreement and this has often been offected by the national agreement placing some definite restriction on the subjects with which the district or local agreements may deal, or on
One of the best the manner in which they may deal with such subjects. illustrations of this inter-relationship between national and district agree- monts appearing in a single industry occurs in the building industry, in which there is in addition to comprehensive national agreements a large number of regional and local agreements, the provisions of which supplement, but do not run counter to, those of the national agreements. regional and local agreements, in addition to re-stating the working rules contained in the national agreement with such amendments as have been sanctioned for the region concerned, may deal with matters not otherwise controlled by the national working rules or may amplify them by the addition of regional or local rules not inconsistent with the rules uravm up by the national body.
Thus the
In some industries agreements are reached as a result of ad hoc negotia- tion between federations, associations or groups of employers and similar bodies representing workpeople. It may be noted that this method of ad hov negotiation is frequently so well established, that for all practical purposes
In other it may be regarded as the equivalent of standing joint machinery. cases agreements are made by standing joint bodies representing employers and workpeople. Such bodies may be either joint conciliation boards or joint industrial councils and are alike in so far as they consist of equal numbers of representatives of employers and workpeople. Joint conciliation boards, however, have generally more limited functions than joint industrial councils, being usually confined to the consideration of matters concerning wages and working conditions, whereas joint industrial councils are as a rule by the terms of their constitution empowered to deal with many other matters pertaining to the industry that affect the interests of employers and employed.
It is impossible within the scope of this memorandum to give a detailed
Details description of the varied machinery operating in the main industries. of the more important are contained in various publications mentioned in the Appendix.
The
A brief reference may, however, be made to Joint Industrial Councils established on a basis of the recommendations of the Whitley Committee which was set up in October 1916 to make suggestions for securing a permanent improve- ment in the relations between employers and employed. These councils are permanent organisations with a definite constitution and functions agreed upon by the two sides. When working according to the Whitley Committee's recommenda- tions, they meet at regular and frequent intervals and not merely occasionally to discuss claims or differences, and the subjects with which they are empowered to deal are wider than wages, hours and conditions of labour. Whitley Committee envisaged a comprehensive system of regular consultation between employers and workers throughout British industry, and their plan for each well organised industry included a national joint industrial council representative of associations of workers and employers in the industry through- out the country with district councils similarly representative to deal with matters affecting the industry in particular districts. This scheme was, of course, entirely voluntary and, although joint industrial councils on this pattern have been established in a number of industries and are well established in Government and Local Authority services, many of the more important industries have preferred to maintain their own methods of joint consultation or ad hoc negotiation as established before the Whitley Committee had made its recommendations.
VI. GOVERNMENT MACHINERY FOR PREVENTING AND SETTLING
INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES.
(a) Introductory.
Despite the general effectiveness of the voluntary machinery which has been established in nearly all branches ofindustry, from time to time differences are bound to arise on which there is failure to reach a settlement. Provision has, therefore, been made by the State for assistance to be available for preventing and settling such differences. This assistance is rendered by the Minister of Labour and National Service under statutory powers dorived from the Conciliation Act, 1806, and from the Industrial Courts Act, 1919.
10.