28. Mr. Gresham Cookeasked the Minister of Labour if he will seek powers to enable him to encourage companies to have trade union officials and shop stewards elected to works council instead of representatives elected on the shop floor.
§ Mr. ThorntonI think the form of representation on works councils is best settled within individual firms in the light of their particular circumstances.
Mr. Gresham CookeIs the Parliamentary Secretary watching the experiment at Samuel Fax & Co., a branch of the United Steel Companies, by which shop stewards for the first time and now trade union officials are being brought on, so that questions of productivity, mechanisation and redeployment of labour can be discussed within the works? Will not the hon. Gentleman agree that this is a helpful approach and should, perhaps, be encouraged throughout industry?
§ Mr. ThorntonI can assure the hon. Member that my right hon. Friend is watching this procedure with close interest.