HC Deb 18 July 1977 vol 935 cc1140-2
20. Mr. Ridley

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether his intended legislation concerning striking in the Post Office will extend to permitting refusal to deliver the mail of individual customers.

Mr. Kaufman

The scope of the proposals will be settled in the light of consultations with the Post Office, the unions and the Post Office Users National Council.

Mr. Ridley

Is the Minister aware that it would be scandalous to allow the Post Office workers to continue to discriminate against individual customers' mail? If it is his intention to alter the terms of this in the legislation, will he also include a provision to make it quite clear that the individual customer has the right to go and pick up his own mail if it is caught up in a trade dispute?

Mr. Kaufman

I cannot remember whether at the time the right hon. Member for Sidcup (Mr. Heath) had yet sacked the hon. Gentleman from his Administration, but the hon. Gentleman, if not a member of that Administration, was certainly a Back Bench supporter of the Administration which in the Industrial Relations Act restored the right to strike to workers in the gas, water and electricity industries. We want to do the same for the Post Office workers.

Mr. Tebbit

Do the Government have any policy towards the selective withholding of mail from individual customers in pursuit of industrial disputes?

Mr. Kaufman

The Government believe that people have the right to have their mail delivered when it is posted. That is something, of course, which did not happen during he 1971 strike when the law was violated and the Conservative Party did nothing about it. It was something that did not happen during the 1973 postal boycott, when the law was again broken and the Conservative Party did nothing about it. We want to make the position clear for everyone to understand.

Sir K. Joseph

Will the Minister answer the supplementary question of my hon. Friend the Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Ridley), and not go on about things that he did not ask? Assuming that the Government give the right to strike to Post Office workers, will the Government allow individuals to pick up their own mail if their mail is held up by a strike?

Mr. Kaufman

The right hon. Member for Leeds, North-East (Sir K. Joseph) would do well to await the form of the legislation when it has been considered and discussed with all the relevant parties. I might point out that the other day my right hon. Friend wrote to the Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry making clear what I have made clear today, namely, the need to protect the security of the mail.

Mr. Ridley

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. In view of the extremely evasive and unsatisfactory nature of the hon. Gentleman's replies, I beg to give notice that I shall seek to raise the matter on the Adjournment at the earliest possible opportunity.

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