Electricity Act 1957

12 Machinery for settling terms and conditions of employment

(1) Except in so far as they are satisfied that adequate machinery exists for achieving the purposes of this section, it shall be the duty of the Electricity Council and the Scottish Electricity Boards to seek joint consultations with any organisation appearing to them to be appropriate, with a view to the conclusion between the Council, those Boards and that organisation of such joint agreements as appear to the parties to be desirable with respect to the establishment and maintenance of machinery for—

(a) the settlement by negotiation of terms and conditions of employment of persons employed by the Electricity Council or by Electricity Boards, with provision for reference to arbitration in default of such settlement in such cases as may be determined by or under the agreements ; and

(b) the promotion, improvement and encouragement of measures affecting the safety, health, welfare, education and training of persons employed by the Electricity Council or by Electricity Boards, and the discussion of other matters of mutual interest to that Council or those Boards and persons so employed, including efficiency in the operation of the services of the Council or the Boards.

(2) Before entering into any agreement in pursuance of the preceding subsection, the Electricity Council shall consult the Generating Board and each of the Area Boards.

(3) It shall be the duty of the Generating Board and of each of the Area Boards to comply with any agreement concluded in pursuance of subsection (1) of this section.

(4) In so far as the Generating Board or any Area Board are required by subsection (2) of section two of the principal Act to consult with any organisation appearing to them to be appropriate with respect to the performance of their duty under that subsection to provide, or assist the provision of, facilities for training and education, the Board, in determining what organisation is appropriate, shall have regard to any machinery established for the purposes of paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of this section.

(5) The Electricity Council and each of the Scottish Electricity Boards shall send to the Minister, the Secretary of State and the Minister of Labour and National Service a copy of any agreement concluded for the purposes of this section to which the Council or that Board, as the case may be, are a party.