RAILWAYS, 
169 
five persons from outside, unconnected with railway administration or 
railway workers or their associations. Of the latter, two should be nomi- 
nated by each side of the Central Board, and the fifth and last member 
should be selected by both sides of the Board to sot as an independent 
Chairman ; failing an agreed nomination, the Chairman should be appoint- 
»d by the Government of India. 
Railway Councils and Committees. 
We have dealt first with the constitution of the Central Board, 
partly because we are strongly of the opinion that such joint standing 
machinery is to be preferred to the existing method of negotiating be- 
tween the central controlling authorities and the representatives of 
railway workers, and partly because it is desirable to show clearly the 
natuce of the organisation we have in view for dealing with disputes of 
major questions that have proved Incapable of settlement on individual 
railways. At the same time we consider it an equally essential part of 
the scheme that provision should be made on each railway for the due 
consideration of differences of opinion arising there. We recommend 
that this should take the form of a Railway Council working in conjunction 
with divisional or district and local or works committees, in order to cover 
the whole field of industrial relations. Here, however, it is obvious that, 
i these bodies are to be fully representative, they must be elected by and 
from the whole of the workers concerned. The object of creating this 
portion of the scheme is to give all workers opportunities of ventilating 
grievances as they arise and to give them or their direct. representatives 
opportunities of discussing the conditions under which their work 
should be carried on. In our opinion it would be a mistake to limit these 
opportunities to minorities. For this reason we recommend that all 
workers should be eligible for election to the proposed Railway Council 
and committees. At the same time we suggest that, where there is a 
recognised trade union representing the interests of employees, the workers’ 
representatives on any divisional or district and local or works committee 
should, if they so desire, be entitled to have the assistance of an officer 
of the union in discussing questions on the agenda of any committee 
meeting. In the case of Railway Councils, we recommend that, where 
there is a recognised trade union, the Agent of a railway should consult 
the officers of the union as to the constitution of his Railway Council and as 
to the extent of the direct representation to which the union should be 
entitled on the: council. Failing agreement in this connection, the matter 
should be referred to the Joint Standing Central Board, from whom advice 
may also be taken in the event of morq than one union desiring recogni- 
sion and representation op any railway. 
It (18 unnecessary to indicate here divisions of functions by 
specifying different matters suitable for discussion by Railway Councils and 
committees, or the types of constitution to be adopted. The experience 
gained from the working of existing joint committees is available, and 
We recommend that the proposed Joint Standing Central Board should 
take into consideration the constitutions and functions of the different