HC Deb 20 July 1976 vol 915 cc1501-2
6. Mr. Torney

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest figures for industrial disputes in the United Kingdom; and how these figures compare with other EEC countries.

Mr. Harold Walker

There have been 798 stoppages of work due to industrial disputes in the United Kingdom in the first five months of this year. I regret that comparable information relating to other EEC countries is not available, nor are 1975 data yet available.

Mr. Torrey

Does my hon. Friend agree that these figures show a considerable improvement and would probably compare well with the position in other EEC countries? Does he agree that the improvement is due to the Government's correct policy of consultation with the trade union movement, rather than the confrontation that we saw from the last Tory Government? Does it not also show that, contrary to what the Opposition are always telling us, the trade union movement is a very responsible body of opinion?

Mr. Walker

I hope the whole House will take comfort from the fact that the number of working days lost through disputes last year was the lowest since 1968 and that for the period January-May this year the figure is less than half that of the same period last year. No doubt this is due to a number of factors, but the co-operation with the trade union movement that has been achieved by the Government is a significant factor.

Sir John Hall

Is it not rather curious that comparable figures for other Community countries are not available? Are they not obtainable without difficulty from the ILO?

Mr. Walker

We are dependent on international sources, and they have not yet been able to provide the information.

Mr. Arthur Lewis

Am I not right in thinking that we are members of the Community? Were we not told that we would get a lot of benefits from membership? Are we now being told that the Minister cannot get for this House information which must be readily available in the Community? Has he tried to get it? If not, will he try, and then arrange for the information to be passed on to hon. Members?

Mr. Walker

The necessary information is provided not by the Community but by member countries, and they have not yet provided it.

Mr. Hayhoe

Why does the Minister persist in living in the dream world of believing that there is no connection between the present extremely high level of unemployment and the fact that there has been a welcome reduction in the number of disputes?

Mr. Walker

The hon. Gentleman is not prepared to give credit to anyone. He claims that the improvement is due to market forces, but how does he explain that in 1972, when the level of unemployment, calculated by the present method, was 1 million or, calculated by the method used by his Government until they decided to fiddle the figures, 1,574,000, the number of working days lost through strikes in that year was 24 million—the highest since the General Strike?

Back to