§ Mr. Hal MillerI beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 9, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration; namely,
the situation at British Leyland following the refusal of the toolroom committee on Saturday morning to recommend a return to work on the advice of their union.Since giving you notice of my intention, Mr. Speaker, I have been further advised that the local union officials met the toolroom leaders this morning but were unable to persuade them that the union should be allowed to address the shop floor membership. The meeting called for that purpose had to be postponed.I submit that the matter is specific because of the refusal of the toolroom committee to recommend a return to work. It is important to my constituents—about 10,000 of whom work for British Leyland—and it is important to the whole of British Leyland. It is important to the motor industry as a whole, and there are many other skilled workers waiting in the wings to see what will happen. It is important to the whole future of the Government's pay policy and it is important to the whole of their industrial strategy.
It is urgent because an impasse has been reached. The union executive is willing to make representations to the Government, and indeed Mr. Duffy offered to negotiate the differentials on their behalf, but the union and the company cannot envisage the establishment of 47 another negotiating unit. As The Times commented today, it is necessary for some outside body to intervene to resolve this impasse, otherwise there is a very real risk of the breakdown of the whole production at Leyland. At present 33,000 are out of work, and if this continues for another week the whole 140,000 will be out of work.
It is also urgent because of the difficult position of the company. It is solvent at the moment, but, with the loss running at £17 million a day, one wonders how long the company will be in a position to meet its liabilities as and when they arise.
It is most urgent to get across to the toolmakers involved, who have so far not had the picture put to them by their union, because they are frustrated at their low rate of pay, which is lower than secretaries and truck drivers in the company, that something will be done in the next phase of the pay policy to resolve their problems. If that is not done, the Leyland conveners combined policy—as reported in The Times today—is to seek to use this store of justified anxiety as a pretext for an all-out strike, under the auspices of:
the Communist-led Liaison Committee for the Defence of Trade Unions,to bring down the pay policy and the Government. I submit that the matter is urgent and is more important than the 48 remainder of the business due to be discussed this week, and it is clearly specific.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Gentleman asks leave to move the Adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that he thinks should have urgent consideration: namely,
the situation at British Leyland following the refusal of the toolroom committee on Saturday morning to recommend a return to work on the advice of their union.As the House knows, under Standing Order No. 9 I am directed to take into account the several factors set out in the Order but to give no reasons for my decision. It is not for me to decide the importance of the issue.I listened with great care to the exchanges in the House this afternoon. The situation is fluid and I am giving the answer for today. I have to rule that, in my judgment, the hon. Gentleman's submission does not fall within the provisions of the Standing Order. Therefore, I cannot submit his application to the House.