HC Deb 29 May 1935 vol 302 cc1108-10
11. Mr. NEIL MACLEAN

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether questions of wages and conditions of employment affecting employés in Gibraltar, other than those engaged from this country, come within the scope of existing Whitley Council machinery; and, if not, whether he will favourably consider an application that all such matters which cannot be satisfactorily settled by negotiations between the representatives of his Department and the accredited representatives of employés shall be referred to the Shipbuilding Trades Joint Council for Government employés?

>The CIVIL LORD of the ADMIRALTY (Captain Euan Wallace)

The Shipbuilding Trade Joint Council for Government employés deals with the wages and certain working conditions of Admiralty workpeople employed in this country or sent from this country to naval establishments abroad under a contract of service. The wages and working conditions of locally entered workpeople at naval establishments abroad, such as Gibraltar, Malta, Bermuda, Singapore, Hong Kong and Simonstown, must be based largely on local conditions of employment, and not on those prevailing in the shipbuilding industry in Great Britain, with which all members of the Council are familiar. The matters referred to in the question do not, therefore, come within the scope of the Whitley Council machinery, and I regret that it would not be practicable to make the change proposed.

Mr. MACLEAN

Will the hon. and gallant Gentleman be good enough to reply to the last part of the question, as to whether such matters as cannot be satisfactorily settled between the representative of his Department and the accredited representatives of employés will be referred to the Shipbuilding Trades Joint Council for Government employés?

Captain WALLACE

I have said that I regret that that would not be practicable.

Mr. MACLEAN

Can the hon. and gallant Gentleman explain why it would not be practicable that these matters should be discussed by the Committee suggested in the question?

Captain WALLACE

The Committee is a Committee of the trades unions, which does not necessarily know anything about the local conditions.

Mr. MACLEAN

Is it not the case that these men are members of British trade unions, and therefore would have repre- sentatives with all the facts in their possession which they could lay before the Committee?

Captain WALLACE

I would not like to answer that question offhand, but I think not.

Mr. MACLEAN

rose—

Mr. SPEAKER

This is becoming a debate.