HC Deb 21 February 1979 vol 963 cc402-4
7. Mr. Rhodes James

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will make a statement on the recent road haulage dispute.

Mr. William Rodgers

There is nothing significant I can add to what I said at the time and have already said this afternoon. I greatly regret that it took place and resulted in so much inconvenience and disruption.

Mr. Rhodes James

Has the right hon. Gentleman any estimate of the approximate total cost of this dispute to British industry?

Mr. Rodgers

It is extremely difficult to measure the total costs. The industry is made up of many small firms. They are at present assessing the cost. As I said earlier, there is a later question on the consequences for charges.

Mr. Rooker

Can my right hon. Friend say how many food shops ran out of food during the dispute, how many people died of starvation, and how many million workers were laid off? Has he those figures? If he has not, does he accept that no one knows of a single food shop which ran out of food, that no one died of starvation, and that only 200,000 workers were laid off?

Mr. Ashton

One per cent.

Mr. Rodgers

If I may be allowed to join in, I think that the implication of my hon. Friend's supplementary question is right. No shops closed as a result of the dispute. I am very glad that no one starved to death. At one stage it was suggested that many more people would be laid off than were. That is not to say, however, that the strike was not damaging, that much inconvenience was not caused, and that a great deal of anxiety did not result from it. I regret that. Equally, I regret the hysteria which occurred at the time in some quarters.

Mr. Fry

Does the Secretary of State think that some apology is due to the employers in the road haulage industry for the rapid changes that occurred in Government policy, mainly resulting from the problems experienced, whereby first the industry was threatened that if it went above 5 per cent. action would be taken about its charges, and then when the strike hit the Government were desperate that it should be settled at any cost?

Mr. Rodgers

No. The hon. Member is sometimes more reasonable than others of his hon. Friends, but he is now being rather silly. There were no changes in Government policy. I and the Government would have very much preferred to see a settlement within the guidelines of 5 per cent. The RHA moved very quickly to an offer of 15 per cent. As I made clear in the House time and time again, I could not endorse that. In the end, of course, the parties settled at a very much higher figure.