§ 17. Mr. John Pageasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many new industrial disputes have been recorded for the months of February, March and 566 April, 1971 as compared with the same period in 1970.
§ Mr. BryanOfficial statistics relate to industrial disputes which result in stoppages of work. The provisional total of stoppages which began in the months of February, March and April, 1971 is 480, compared with 1,305 in the corresponding period in 1970.
§ Mr. PageIs my hon. Friend aware that these dramatic changes and this steep drop show that the Government's policies are beginning to affect the disease of wildcat strikes? Does my hon. Friend also agree that this happy situation is probably due to the influence of the Industrial Relations Bill, although it is not yet an Act?
§ Mr. BryanI agree that the figures are greatly improved and, therefore, satisfactory to that extent. On the other hand, I prefer not to come to a conclusion on the strength of three months' records.
§ Mr. HefferOn the strength of that answer, is not the hon. Gentleman wise not to come to a conclusion? Is it not a fact that the number of days lost during the first quarter of this year was five times more than the days lost in the first quarter of the previous year under the Labour Government? Is not the Government putting forward a strange philosophy in suggesting that long strikes involving whole works, such as Ford, may be less damaging to the country than a series of unofficial strikes?
§ Mr. BryanIn this case, once again I am not willing to come down, on the basis of these few figures, to the question of cause and effect. Of course we acknowledge the information that the hon. Gentleman has given, but four-fifths of the days lost were due to the postal strike and the Ford Motor Co. strike, which had a very bad effect. The general picture in the country still indicates a disturbing state of industrial relations and that our Bill is still very much required.