The Council is hereby empowered to regulate apprenticeship in Puerto Rico, and to that end, it shall seek the advice of employers, workmen, employees, technicians, and such other person, groups, and governmental boards or organizations as it may deem advisable. In regulating apprenticeship the Council shall establish norms applicable to all commercial, industrial, and agricultural establishments. The Council shall likewise:
(a) Coordinate its functions or activities, for the purposes of §§ 11—18 of this title, with other governmental agencies, officials, and organizations in any manner connected with apprenticeship in Puerto Rico; Provided, That such agencies, officials, and organizations are hereby empowered and obliged to act in such coordination.
(b) Cooperate with the Minimum Wage Board in the determination of minimum wage schedules and periods of apprenticeship for apprentices in the various remunerative trades, arts, and occupations.
(c) Cooperate, likewise, with federal agencies having to do with the determination of minimum wages and periods of apprenticeship in industries and occupations covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act in Puerto Rico.
(d) Negotiate apprenticeship agreements.
(e) Issue apprenticeship certificates.
(f) Make surveys of occupational trends in the various trades.
(g) Decide any apprenticeship case brought to its consideration.
(h) Adopt any other necessary rules, including the establishment of penalties, for the regulation of apprenticeship in Puerto Rico; Provided, That the rules and regulations adopted by the Council shall have the force of law and shall take effect immediately upon their approval and promulgation by the Governor of Puerto Rico.
History —May 15, 1947, No. 483, p. 1092, § 6, eff. July 1, 1947.