View report page

51
EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES
These Agencies, which include "au-pair" agencies are licenced
annually and inspection of the records kept by these firms is carried out
to ensure that the provisions of the Act are complied, in most cases the
premises concerned are also subject to the provisions of the Offices,
Shops and Railway Premises Act, 1963.
There are 85 agencies registered and regularly inspected in the
Borough.
SHOPS ACTS, 1950-65
The Shops Acts include provisions relating to the health, comfort and
the working hours of persons employed in shops and also control the
hours during which shops may remain open for business. During the year
487 inspections were made under the Acts and the following infringements
were remedied:—
Hours of Closing 46
Notices to be exhibited or amended 73
A number of complaints and enquiries were received from shop assistants
concerning their hours and conditions of employment and these
persons and, where appropriate, their employers were advised of the relevant
provisions of the Acts.
As the result of complaints, and information contained in Press advertisements,
14 cases of alleged trading outside the permitted hours, or on
Sundays, were investigated and, following the necessary observations, the
traders concerned were warned or, as in the cases referred to below, prosecuted
under the Acts.
PROSECUTIONS
Both Directors of a firm retailing decorating materials were summoned
following the sale of goods on Sundays and the Court imposed a fine of
£15.50 and £5 costs, in respect of each summons.
The proprietors of a shop selling pet animals were prosecuted for
trading on Sundays and it is interesting to note that the firm pleaded that,
since they were selling goods only to members of a Club they had organised,
they were not invoking the Sunday trading laws. The Court set aside this
plea and imposed a fine of £6 with £5 costs.