Central Establishments Branch of the Establishments Department CEB

Apart from routine establishment matters, there are a number of files on the organisation and duties of various Departments and references to committees on internal Ministry of Labour questions.

Under 'Committees' are listed references to:

• Committee on Work of Employment Exchanges. (Barnes).
• Committee on National Expenditure. (Geddes).
• Committee on Ministers' Powers. (Scott, Donoughmore).
• Investigation committee on Ministry of Labour. (Peel).
• Supply and Transport Committee.

There are papers on the preparation of Annual Reports under 'Government Departments: Ministry of Labour'; files on arrangements during strikes under 'Employment: Unrest'; and on the Dictionary of Occupational Terms under 'Census'. Whitley Councils are listed under 'Boards: Councils, and Meetings'.

A few files have a different coding as follows:

• CEB (G) Central Establishments Branch, General: Miscellaneous files all covering 1926, 1927.
• CEBR CER Central Establishments Branch. Registry.
• CEC Central Establishments Branch. Cars and Cycles. Very few files mainly 1921.

A separate Establishments Department of the Ministry of Labour was not set up until December 1918. Until March 1917 establishment work was undertaken by A W Watson immediately responsible to the Minister, it was then transferred to the Establishments Section of the General Manager's Branch, part of the Employment Department. The work of the Ministry of Labour was greatly expanded by the creation of the Department of Civil Demobilisation and Resettlement in the November of 1918, giving the impetus to the setting up of the Establishments Department. However, largely because of the influx of temporary staff individual departments of the Ministry retained considerable control over appointments. Also the General Manager's Department fought at least until 1920 to maintain its control over equipment and premises of employment exchanges.

The duties of the Establishments Department were to see that each department of the Ministry was efficiently and economically staffed. It therefore dealt with recruitment, appointments, pay, promotion, leave, welfare, and discipline of staff. It conducted negotiations over staff with the Treasury and the Associations of Departmental Staff and was eventually responsible for the premises and equipment of the Ministry. The department also looked after the work of the Ministry of Labour Whitley Council.

These responsibilities of the department involved it in policy decisions on the functions of the Ministry. The Central Establishments Branch was mainly responsible for staffing questions relating to officers of the rank of Assistant Secretary and above.