Will it be necessary to have legislation about the reconstitution of the State boards?
Worker Participation (State Enterprises) Bill, 1976: Committee and Final Stages.
Sections 1 to 22, inclusive, agreed to.
SECTION 23.
Question proposed: "That section 23 stand part of the Bill."
By order of both Houses.
Question put and agreed to.
Section 24 to 32, inclusive, agreed to.
Title agreed to.
Bill reported without amendment and received for final consideration.
Question proposed: "That the Bill do now pass."
I should like to reiterate briefly that, while I welcome this Bill, I regard it as just the first stage along the line the Minister has charted towards a fuller industrial democracy. An interesting aspect concerns the voting procedures. We have an excellent precedent in voting procedures which can be adopted over a wide area of industrial democracy, particularly in regard to pre-empting industrial action. This is a matter towards which we should all be seeking to make progress. If one can so democratise responsibility within industry, then there should be the co-responsibility with that of democratising in any form of industrial action arising out of procedures having gone wrong within an industry or enterprise. The type of democratic voting procedures embodied in this Bill in regard to electing worker directors should be embodied in future legislation and should be followed before decisions are made to take industrial action.
Question put and agreed to.
Business suspended at 5.30 p.m. and resumed at 6.30 p.m.