§ 14. Mr. Shinwellasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what estimate she has formed of the financial loss to the United Kingdom through strikes since April, 1968; and what is her estimate of the total cost of paying workpeople in manual occupations the increases in wage rates demanded over the same period.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity (Mr. Harold Walker)I regret that it is not practicable to make such estimates.
§ Mr. ShinwellIf the Question baffles my hon. Friend, could he give me an explicit answer in one direction, namely, what happened in relation to the postal dispute? If negotiations had been entered into, would it not have saved a great deal of money?
§ Mr. WalkerThere are two assumptions in my right hon. Friend's question, one that strikes arise from wages disputes and, secondly, that the strikes would not occur in the absence of an incomes policy. Neither of these assumptions do I accept.