Annual report on Northern Rhodesia / Colonial Office.

  • Colonial Office
Date:
[1959]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on Northern Rhodesia / Colonial Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    concerned with the testing and supervision of apprentices, while the latter dealt with the testing and classification of Africans who practise various trades in the building and engineering industries although they are not journeymen. The Workmen’s Compensation Commissioner administered the Work¬ men’s Compensation Ordinance and examined the settlement of claims under it to see that they complied with the law. Whenever any matter was in dispute, he endeavoured to bring about agreement between the parties and in such circumstances his advice was generally accepted, very few cases being taken to court for decision. The functions of the Labour Department were to promote and maintain good industrial relations and to enforce legislation for the protection of labour. MINES DEPARTMENT The headquarters of the Mines Department are in Kitwe. At the end of the year the staff of the department consisted of the Government Mining Engineer, the Deputy Government Mining Engineer, seven Inspectors of Mines, two Inspectors of Machinery, one Inspector of Mines (Dust Research), one Physicist/Chemist, one Electron Microscopist, three Inspectors of Beacons, one Assistant Registrar of Mining Titles and the appropriate clerical grades. INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS At the end of 1959, there were twenty registered trade unions in the Territory. In the mining industry, European daily paid workers were represented by the Northern Rhodesia Mine Workers’ Union, which has a “ closed shop ” agreement with the mining companies. Employees in the super¬ visory staff categories were eligible for membership of the Northern Rhodesia Mine Officials and Salaried Staff Association: about 90 per cent of those eligible were members of the association. In other industries and spheres of employment, the following organisa¬ tions were available to European employees: Rhodesia Railway Workers’ Union. Amalgamated Engineering Union. Northern Rhodesia Association of Municipal Employees. Northern Rhodesia European Civil Servants’ Association. South African Typographical Union. Rhodesia Guild of Journalists. South Africa Society of Bank Officials. There were one Asian and eight African registered trade unions: two more African unions were in the process of dissolution. By far the
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