The following letter appeared in the Financial Times from John Tindall, General Secretary of the Ministry of Labour Staff Associations
"For many years legislation has been awaited to bring some measure of national control of fee charging employment agencies. As long ago as 1951 it was the view of the Government that the issuing of annual licences to fee charging employment agencies should be the responsibility of a competent authority and that the same authority should also keep check on fees charged by private employment agencies. This view is in line with the alternative part of the ILO Fee Charging Employment Agencies Convention (Revised) 1949.
"It has been found in other countries such as Sweden, that to skimp the expansion of the national employment service involves the risk of . increased cost to the community. It does not, therefore, follow that the placing of people in employment by private fee charging employment agencies saves the taxpayer one penny...eIn my view it is necessary to look at the employment services.ein relation to the needs of a planned economy. Just as it is necessary to have raw materials delivered at the right time to maintain production, so it is necesuary to ensure that there are sufficient workers from the top executive down to the man on the shop floor....The ratification of the ILO Fee Charzing Employment Agencies Convention (Revised) 1949 by the next Government would help towards achieving stability of the labour market.