Atomic Energy Authority Act 1971

9Machinery for settling terms and conditions of employment

(1)It shall be the duty of each of the companies to seek consultation with any organisation appearing to them to be appropriate, with a view to the conclusion between the company and that organisation of such 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 company, with provision for reference to arbitration, in default of such settlement, of such cases as may be determined by or under the agreements, and

(b)the promotion and encouragement of measures affecting the safety, health and welfare of persons employed by the company and (so far as in the opinion of the company considerations of national security permit) the discussion of other matters of mutual interest to the company and their employees, including efficiency in the work of the company.

(2)In concluding any such agreement as is mentioned in subsection (1) of this section, in so far as the agreement relates to persons who by virtue of subsection (1) of section 8 of this Act become employees of one of the companies.—

(a)the company and the organisation with which the agreement is made shall have regard to the principle that any terms and conditions of employment which, in the case of any such person, are to take effect in substitution for the contract deemed to be in force by virtue of subsection (3) of that section ought, taken as a whole, to be no less favourable to him than the terms and conditions which immediately before the date of transfer applied to him under his contract of employment with the Authority, and

(b)the company and the organisation shall secure that (without prejudice to any other provision for arbitration which may be contained in the agreement) the agreement shall provide for arbitration in any case of dispute on the question whether any particular terms and conditions proposed to be so substituted would conform to that principle.

(3)In subsection (2) of this section references to terms and conditions of employment shall be construed as not including any terms or conditions relating to pensions or to inclusion in a pension scheme.

(4)Nothing in subsection (2) of this section shall have effect in relation to any terms or conditions proposed by way of variation of, or in substitution for, terms and conditions of employment which (whether settled by negotiation or by arbitration) have been substituted for the contracts deemed to be in force by virtue of section 8(3) of this Act.