CIRCULAR
Downing Street,
24th August, 1946.
58
10
sir,
I have the honour to address you on the subject of the terms and conditions of service of Labour Officers in the Colonial Service.
2.
In his circular despatch of the 5th of September, 1938, Mr. Malcolm MacDonald expressed the view that Colonial Labour Departments are actually or potentially among the most important Departments of Government; that an Administrative Officer who is selected for duty in the Labour Department should realise that he is being posted to work of first rate importance, calling for a high degrec of skill, tact and wisdom; and that good performance in this sphere will be accounted to his credit and will be taken into account when promotion is in question. I heartily support this view, and, morcover, I should wish it to include every officer appointed to the Labour Department irrespective of who thor ho is drawn from the Administrative Service.
3. Mr. MacDonald stressed the desirability of Colonial Governments starting to recruit a sufficient number of Administrative Officers in excess of normal current requirements, to provide a trained reserve for the replacement, as time goes on, of the experienced officers who will be drawn from the Administrative staffs to form the personnel of the Labour Departments. He also pointed out that for a number of years it would be necessary in the case of both the larger and smaller Dependencies for the Labour Department or Inspectorate to be staffed to some extent by the engagement of suitable persons from outside the Colonial Service who possess experience of local labour conditions.
L.
Throughout the war years, of 1939-1945 recruiting for all services had necessarily to be severely restricted, and, in common with all other departments, the Labour Departments remained badly under-staffcd. Such staffing of the Labour Departments as wass possible was effected by the secondment of Administrative Officers to act as Labour Officers, the secondment in certain instances of officers of the United Kingdom Ministry of Labour and National Scrvice, the appointment of Trade Unionists and the appointment of a few individuals with experience of Colonial Labour problems but without Trade Union experience.
5. In relation to the appointment of Trade Unionists views have boon expressed in curtain quarters here that promotion within the Labour Departments would be given to men originally recruited for the Administrativo Service before those recruited from industry or from organizod
The Officer Administering
the Government of
workers
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