H.M. Dockyards (Leave Closure Periods) (Hansard, 20 January 1954)

7 Brigadier Clarke
asked the First Lord of the Admiralty (1) what considerations guided him in deciding to close Her Majesty's dockyards for two weeks

§ Mr. J. P. L. Thomas
I will, with permission, answer Questions Nos. 7, 8 and 9 together.

Brigadier Clarke
May I have separate answers to these three Questions as they are quite different?

§ Mr. Thomas
If my hon. and gallant Friend will listen to my reply, which I am afraid is rather long, I think he will find that it takes in all the points of the three Questions.

Mr. Dugdale
Was your permission, Mr. Speaker, given to the right hon. Gentleman?

§ Mr. Speaker
I rule that in this case the Questions ought to be answered together as the Minister proposes. Then we will consider whether the Questions have been properly answered.

§ Mr. Thomas
The most economical and efficient method of giving annual leave in Her Majesty's dockyards, and most other Admiralty industrial establishments, is to have a closed period. This was 981 done before the last war, and the granting of an additional week's leave to industrial workers generally in 1953 made it highly desirable to return to the pre-war system. The re-introduction of a closed period will enable large savings to be made in several ways, as experience with staggered holidays in 1953 has shown. For example, yard services can be dispensed with during the closed period, and a more balanced labour force can be maintained during the working weeks of the year. The closed period also provides a valuable opportunity for the maintenance and repair of machinery, plant, roads and buildings.
The date of the closed period will be decided locally for each establishment through Whitley channels; the wishes of the workpeople will be given the fullest consideration, and annual leave will generally be taken at the time of year most favoured by the majority in each establishment. The proposal to reinstitute the closed period was fully discussed by the Admiralty Industrial Council during 1953,and the reasons were fully explained to the trade union side before the decision was announced.
This step is an important contribution to economy and efficiency, and I am hopeful that in practice it will not cause disproportionate inconvenience to the workpeople concerned as a whole.

Brigadier Clarke
Was consideration given to the fact that the majority of the dockyard workers have wives and daughters working in industry—canteens, restaurants, laundries and similar places—who will all want to go on holiday at the height of the Portsmouth holiday season, which is most inconvenient to the city, and that it is extremely inconvenient for all dockyard workers to be forced to take their holiday at a time decided by the Minister? I understand that the Whitley Council have never been given an opportunity of saying what date they require except within a special period of one month. The dockyard workers prefer to take their holidays when they want them.

§ Mr. Thomas
As regards the last part of my hon. and gallant Friend's supplementary question, there was no limit put on dates so far as the trade union side was concerned. I fully realise that difficulties will arise, especially for workers whose wives are working in other indus- 982 tries, but we have all that under consideration and we have, in the interests of economy and efficiency, decided to re establish this closed holiday.

§ Mr. W. J. Edwards
Will the right hon. Gentleman tell me whether this proposal was made with the concurrence of the trade union side of the Admiralty Industrial Council, or whether it was forced upon them? Will he also tell me how he is going to make an economy by having a closed shop—having the dockyards closed for two weeks in one year—when they have been having staggered holidays for the last 13 years, with much more efficiency than will be the case if the dockyards are closed down for two weeks? Will he also say if this decision to close the dockyards down was not at the request of the Naval staff of the Admiralty in order to have Naval weeks for Naval charities?

§ Mr. Thomas
The hon. Gentleman has asked me so many supplementary questions that I hope I can remember them all. So far as the trade union side of the Admiralty Industrial Council was concerned, the decision was noted under protest. There is to be a review in a year's time. Meanwhile, they have promised to carry out the decision of the Admiralty. The hon. Gentleman also asked me what we saved by this decision. Roughly we have saved an extra week's work. I cannot go into the figure in terms of money, but roughly it works out that we have saved a whole week's work. The hon. Gentleman said that staggered holidays had been in practice for a long time. That is true, but the extra week's holiday was introduced only last year. It is the extra week's holiday that has caused the lack of efficiency and lack of economy.

§ Mr. Foot
Will the right hon. Gentleman understand that there is very strong feeling against the Admiralty's decision in all dockyard towns, and will he give an undertaking that even if he will not change the decision for this year he will go into the whole matter in the fullest possible manner for next year to see if we can revert to the system which has prevailed for so many years?

§ Mr. Thomas
As I have said, this matter will be reviewed next year and, of course, representations from all dockyard towns and areas will be taken into consideration.