§ 4. Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Minister of Labour how many employees have received wage and salary increases since the introduction of the Prices and Incomes policy; and if he will state the numbers so treated in the following categories, namely, manual workers, non-industrial, industrial and professional civil servants, and other professional employees.
§ The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour (Mr. Roy Hattersley)I estimate that between the beginning of the prices and incomes standstill and 30th April, 1967, basic full-time weekly rates of wages or minimum entitlements had been increased in industries employing just over 5 million manual workers, though a significant proportion of this total would not received actual increases. Since the standstill, 9,600 professional, 46,600 other non-industrial and 3,100 industrial civil servants have received wage or salary increases. Corresponding information for professional and salaries employees outside the Civil Service is not available.
§ Mrs. ShortI thank my hon. Friend for his reply. Is he aware that it is the realisation of this situation that caused the massacre of Labour support in the recent local elections? Will he now do everything in his power to ensure that the lower-paid workers, the section of the community that most looks for help to a Labour Government, receive such help?
§ Mr. HattersleyI make no comment about my hon. Friend's critique of why the Labour Party lost a measure of support in May. I am sure that she will be consoled to know that between now and the end of the period of severe restraint more than half a million of the lowest-paid workers will receive benefits as a result of the prices and incomes policy.