§ 7. Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for Employment what action has been taken by his conciliation officers over the container dispute in the docks.
§ Mr. Maurice MacmillanI and my officials are in close touch with the chairmen of the Joint Special Committee on the Ports Industry.
§ Mr. McCrindleIn the event of the Jones-Aldington discussions failing to lead to a settlement, will my right hon. Friend consider passing the matter to his conciliation officers to obtain a settlement? In general, will he consider doing this in future disputes, perhaps at a rather earlier stage? Would he agree that by employing this method we might avoid a public confrontation and defuse an overheated industrial relations situation?
§ Mr. MacmillanNaturally I am always ready to have my conciliation officers used in every form of industrial dispute. I am glad to find that the right hon. and hon. Members on the Opposition side appear to share this view. In this particular situation, however, there could have been no better organisation than the joint committee set up under the chairmanship of Lord Aldington and Mr. Jack Jones, which has produced recommendations which have received very wide support on all sides of the House. In this situation it would be wisest to let them get on with the work, which they are now continuing.
§ Mr. HefferIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that right hon. and hon. Members of the Opposition have always argued that conciliation was the answer to our industrial relations problems? Therefore, in cheering his hon. Friend, we would hope that in future the advice of his hon. Friend will be accepted and acted upon by the Government. Is the right hon. Gentleman also aware that in voting for a national strike the dockers' committee did not reject the Jones/Aldington Report? [An HON. MEMBER: "Yes, they did."] No, they did not. What the dockers did was to accept most of the report, but they felt that it had to be strengthened. It is that aspect which is of the utmost importance in getting a settlement. [An HON. MEMBER: "Disgraceful."] Why should not the dockers take 334 that point of view? They are the people who work in the docks.
§ Mr. MacmillanI am glad to say that both Lord Aldington and Mr. Jones have made it quite clear that they stand by the report in all its details. They have also accepted that further work needs to be done on certain aspects of the report.