CO129-626-3 Labour Department- report to Labour Commissioner 1-3-1951 - 30-6-1952 — Page 114

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453.

In this connection I am constrained to quote from the speech of Mr. David A. Morse, Director General of the International Labour Organisation, at the Asian Confer- ence at Newara Eliya on 24th January, 1950:

434.

434.

"It is a source of real concern to our agreed efforts and to the stated desire to improve standards of living, to find that Labour Departments in various countries in Asia are so small, so fow in staff, or in the process of retrenchment. I mention this because proper social policy cannot be carried out or our objectives et unless Governments have adequate and adequately staffed labour machinery to carry out the national legislative will or to make social policy more than a dead letter on the statute books. It has been the experience of Governments in Europe, North America and other parts or the world that social policy and progress and the improvement of standards of living or people calls for dynamic implementation and full co-operation with trade unions and employers. This means

placing labour services in a position second to none in the public esteem and in the hierarchy of governmental respect."

XXVI

PROGRAMME OF ACTION

based on

A suggested programme of action, the recommend- ations and suggestions contained in this report is defined in Appendix 14.

435.

It is in order not of priority but of practic- ability and might well be regarded at this stage as a tentative five year plan. As time goes on it may be found expedient, for various reasons, to alter the order of priority but the first seven items appear to warrant early consideration.

436.

The implementation of the suggested planned pro- gramme will, of course, depond not only on adequate staffing but also on the necessary Financial allocation.

437.

Each item. in the suggested programme is the subject of comment and explanation in the body of the report.

438.

The programme omits the implementation of certain steps which may be practicable to secure the progressive improvement in the living standurds of the workers although these háve been dealt with in the report. This however is general policy which must be constantly in mind and progress made as and when possible without serious dis- location of industry or the infliction of hardship on any large body of workers.

439.

That certain action which may be necessary to secure an improvement in general living standards may result in hardship to many individual workers cannot be denied and the utmost car and discretion must therefore be exercised in such mattor at all times.