ENG-1967 — Page 64

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EMPLOYMENT

would not be punishable as a crime or not actionable if done without agreement or combination. Peaceful picketing is allowed, but vio- lence and intimidation are prohibited.

Registered trade unions are deemed to be corporate bodies for all purposes. Two or more registered trade unions, irrespective of their trade or industry may amalgamate, but membership of trade union federations is confined to registered trade unions within the same trade or industry.

Registered unions are required by law to keep accurate accounts which must be audited by a person approved by the Registrar, who must receive them within three months of the end of the union's financial year. Unions must also give to the Registrar, before April 1 each year, a return for the 12 months ended December 31 in the previous year, showing membership figures, the names and occupa- tions of the principal officers and the name of the auditor.

The 311 unions on the register at the end of 1967 consisted of 243 workers' unions with a total declared membership of 171,512; 54 organizations of merchants or employers with a declared member- ship of 5,866 and 14 mixed organizations with a total declared membership of 8,137.

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SAFETY, HEALTH AND WELFARE

The Industrial Health Division of the Labour Department acts as an advisory service to government and industry on matters

relating to the health of workers. Essentially, the work of the division is concerned with preventing occupational disease and pro- tecting workers against health hazards in their working environ- ment. Hazards to the health of workers are reported by the statutory notification of occupational disease, by the factory inspectorate or by officers of the division. Control is attained by environmental and biological monitoring and the division has a laboratory with tech- nicians trained in industrial hygiene.

Environmental monitoring includes the estimation of inorganic and organic poisons, explosive gases and dusts in the working atmosphere. Investigations into the standards of thermal comfort, ventilation, noise and lighting have been carried out in offices, laundries, workshops and marine launches during the year. Biologi- cal monitoring aims at protecting the health of specific groups of