HC Deb 07 February 1979 vol 962 cc376-8
7. Mr. Buchanan-Smith

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the number of persons laid off work and of the value of production lost in Scotland as a consequence of strikes since 1 January 1979 to the nearest convenient date; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Millan

The recent road haulage dispute led to an estimated peak of 34,000 persons being laid off in manufacturing industry in Scotland. In the past week the numbers have dropped steadily and now nearly all employees are back at work. A wide range of companies were involved and in many cases the lay-offs did not last long. An overall estimate of the value of lost production is, therefore, not possible.

Mr. Buchanan-Smith

Is not that a condemnation of the Government's industrial relations policy for Scotland? Is the Secretary of State aware that this situation has now extended to local government? Will he be more forthcoming than he was yesterday and tell us what advice he is giving to local authorities about the level at which they are to settle the claims that are being made?

Mr. Millan

This is a question about road haulage, and I answered the other questions yesterday.

Mr. Canavan

Does my right hon. Friend agree that one of the reasons for the recent outbreak of strikes in Scotland and elsewhere is the intolerable situation that many workers, particularly in the public sector, are taking home less than £40 after a 40-hour working week? Does my right hon. Friend agree that the best way to eradicate this problem is to have further discussions with the trade union movement about getting rid of low pay, instead of listening to some of the hypocritical gestures from Tory vultures perched on the Opposition Benches, such as the hon. Member for Glasgow, Cathcart (Mr. Taylor) who was making completely a false allegation recently about pickets in a squalid attempt to discredit the trade union movement?

Mr. Speaker

Order. That is not the purpose of Question Time. I deprecate the description of hon. Members as either birds or animals.

Mr. Canavan

If I called the hon. Gentleman a dove, you would not object?

Mr. Millan

I do not accept what my hon. Friend said in the part of his question which referred to take-home pay. It was a gross exaggeration of the general position in both the National Health Service and local authorities. But there is, of course, a problem of low pay, and the Government have made certain suggestions about how it should be dealt with, in both the public and private sectors. The trade unions also have a responsibility here. If we are concerned about the problem of low pay, it means that there has to be some restraint among people who are better paid, and at the moment that restraint is lacking.

Mr. Gordon Wilson

In view of the damage that will be done by the strike of offshore oil construction workers, what action has the Secretary of State taken in connection with it and what proposals has he in mind for a possible settlement of that strike?

Mr. Millan

The hon. Gentleman will know that the Department of Energy, in particular, has been active in trying to find a solution to some of the problems arising from the dispute, which is unofficial. A lot of effort is going into trying to get a settlement, but I do not think that there is much that I can tell the House this afternoon.

Mr. Fairgrieve

Does the Secretary of State appreciate that, as a result of the transport strike, the cash flows of companies in Scotland will be seriously affected in the next few months and that profitability during this year will definitely be affected, with consequential effects on employment and investment?

Mr. Millan

Yes, I made that clear while the dispute was on. With regard to cash flow, I gather that the Scottish banks have said that they will, in appropriate circumstances, try to help firms which are in difficulties short-term because of the strike. But there is always bound to be a residual long-term effect.

Mr. Robin F. Cook

I accept what my right hon. Friend said about an onus on the higher paid groups to exercise restraint, but does he recognise that after these higher paid groups have failed to show that restraint, and after the Government have facilitated a high settlement in the lorry drivers' dispute by tampering with the instructions to the Price Commission, it is pointless to expect the National Union of Public Employees to advise its lower-paid members to settle for an immediate payment of 8.8 percent.?

Mr. Millan

I do not think that it is at all ludicrous. It is in the interests of every worker in this country that restraint should be exercised. If there are excessive settlements there will be a return to an inflationary position, which at the end of the day does more damage to the low-paid than to anyone else.