The Agricultural Wages Board Regulations 1949

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Agricultural Wages Board Regulations, 1949, and shall come into operation on the first day of November, 1949.

2.—(1) In these Regulations the following expressions have the meanings hereby assigned to them:—

“The Act” means the Agricultural Wages Act, 1948;

“The Minister” means the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries;

“The Board” means the Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales referred to in Section 1 of the Act;

“Appointed Members” means members of the Board appointed by the Minister in accordance with paragraph 1 (b) of the First Schedule thereto.

(2) The Interpretation Act, 1889 shall apply to the interpretation of these Regulations as it applies to an Act of Parliament.

3.  The members of the Board representing employers shall be nominated by the Council of the National Farmers' Union, and of the members representing workers in agriculture five shall be nominated by the Executive Committee of the National Union of Agricultural Workers and three by the General Executive Council of the Transport and General Workers' Union. If the said Council or Executive Committee or General Executive Council, as the case may be, shall fail to nominate within such period of the occurrence of any vacancy, as the Minister may direct, a person to fill such vacancy, the Minister may fill the vacancy by nominating any person whom he may consider to be fit and proper for that purpose to act as a member of the Board.

4.  Any member of the Board who, in the opinion of the Minister, fails without reasonable cause to attend one half of the total number of meetings in a year of office shall, if so directed by the Minister, cease to be a member.

5.  The said Council, Executive Committee, General Executive Council, or the Minister may, by notice to the Secretary of the Board and the member affected, terminate the membership of a person nominated by the said Council, Executive Committee, General Executive Council or appointed by the Minister, as the case may be, if, in the opinion of the said Council, Executive Committee or General Executive Council or Minister there is good and sufficient cause for such termination.

6.—(1) Subject to the provisions of the foregoing Regulations the term of office of a member (other than the Chairman) shall be three years, provided that:—

(a) any member may retire by notice in writing to the Secretary of the Board;

(b) a member nominated or appointed to fill a casual vacancy shall act only for the unexpired portion of the term of office of his predecessor; and

(c) a member whose term of office expires shall continue to act until a successor is nominated or appointed.

(2) The term of office of the Chairman shall be such as the Minister may determine.

7.  Any person whose term of office expires shall be eligible to be re-appointed or re-nominated as a member of the Board.

8.  In order to constitute a meeting of the Board there must be present at least one appointed member and the members present must be at least one-third of the whole number of the members constituting the Board.

9.  The Board may, by resolution, appoint one or more sub-committees consisting of one or more members representing employers and workers in agriculture respectively in equal proportions and of one or more appointed members, and may refer to any such committee for report and recommendations any matter which they think it expedient so to refer, and may also, if they so resolve, delegate to any such committee any of their powers and duties under the Act other than a power or duty to fix, cancel or vary minimum rates of wages or to direct that workers shall be entitled to be allowed holidays. The term of office of a member of a sub-committee shall be such period, not exceeding one year, as the Board may determine. The Secretary of the Board shall act as the Secretary of any sub-committee.

10.  The Secretary of the Board shall convene meetings of the Board by notice in writing to each member at such times as the Chairman shall direct and also whenever the Secretary shall receive a request in writing for convening a meeting signed by seven members of the Board. The place at which a meeting shall be held shall be determined by the Minister or with his sanction by the Chairman.

11.  Every member of the Board or of a committee of the Board shall have one vote. If at any meeting of the Board or of a committee the number of members present representing employers and workers respectively is unequal the Chairman or other person presiding shall require the side which is in the majority to arrange that one or more of their members shall refrain from voting, so as to preserve equality. The Chairman, or other person presiding, shall in the event of an equal division have a second or casting vote. In the absence of the Chairman at any meeting of the Board an appointed member selected by the members present at the meeting shall preside.

12.  Any person holding office or acting or serving under or by virtue of the Regulations revoked by these Regulations shall continue to hold his office or act or serve as if he had been appointed or authorised under or by virtue of the corresponding provision of these Regulations.

13.  The Agricultural Wages Board Regulations, 1924(1), and the Agricultural Wages Board (Amendment) Regulations, 1930(2), are hereby revoked.

In witness whereof the Official Seal of the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries is hereunto affixed this tenth day of August, in the year nineteen hundred and forty-nine.

L.S.

T. Williams