§ 7. Mr. Hefferasked the Minister of Labour whether it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government, after consultation with the building trade unions, to seek to develop closer amalgamation amongst them; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GunterThis is primarily for the unions themselves, but the Government welcome the action taken by the Trades Union Congress and the building unions to promote amalgamations.
§ Mr. HefferWill my right hon. Friend pursue this matter a little further and endeavour to get the unions to agree to an industrialised building craftsman, which would be a new type of craftsman in the building industry and which would be a great boon for the type of craftsmen with whom we are concerned.
§ Mr. GunterI am always trying to persuade the unions to do something or other, but really this is a matter primarily for the unions themselves. As my hon. Friend knows, we have discussed this over and over again at headquarter level, and I feel that it would be far better if it were left to the industry.