RESOLUTION FROM THE R. D. O. WAGES COUNCIL
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8543.1967.tb00519.x |
| Published date | 01 November 1967 |
| Date | 01 November 1967 |
356
BRITISII JOURNAL
OF
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
minimum as its view of a reasonable standard of remuneration. In this way, it
preserved its identity and function as
a
Wages Council still operating under
thc 1959 Act. The 1966 Act makes its own provisions for putting to other
tests proposals which quite properly may continue to emanate from Wages
Councils. It is not for Wages Councils to apply those tests and there has
been no statutory change imposing a definition of
a
reasonable standard
of remuneration within the context of the 1959 Act.
1 1.
This view of the continuing statutory duty of Wages Councils does
not imply a refusal to acknowledge the development
of
public policy. On
the contrary, it arises from the observation that the 1959 Act remains as an
instrument of public policy. Indeed, here is found
a
social objective en-
shrined in a recent Act of Parliament. The community says through the
Act that
it
is in the public interest, in the case
of
workers for whom no
adequate negotiating machinery otherwise exists, that a reasonable stan-
dard of remuneration shall be enforced by law, and the Act prescribes the
process whereby that standard shall be determined. In that process, inde-
pendent members play a part which is influential if not completely decisive.
In some measure, it may be said that the independent members introduce
the public interest into the process, but this cannot be otherwise than within
the strict framework of the Act. This may be in itself an imperfect instru-
ment for the expression of the public interest. The independent members
are conscious, with respect, that the 1966 Act provides for other expressions
of
that interest at superior levels. They have exercised their judgment
at thc level of the 1959 Act, weighing in thc balance thc compIex of factors
presented to them
by
the two sides.
CONCLUSION
In offering this evidence to the Board,
I
am
conscious that essentially
I
can do no more than express my own approach
to
the Acts, thc White
Papers and to the arguments of the two sides. The independent members
were, however, unanimous and my colleagues, Miss Hayward and Profes-
sor Hagenbuch have been kind enough to give their approval to this
presentation.
Thc Council has received the Ministcr's request to consider the Report
of
the National Board for Prices and Incomes concerning the Council's
proposals
R.D.O.
(49) and makes the following observations to the
Minister.
A.
As to Wages Councils generally: Wages Councils are governed by
the Wages Councils Act, 1959. Interpreting Part
I
of the Act, the Council
To continue reading
Request your trial