HC Deb 24 February 1981 vol 999 cc734-5
8. Mr. Ancram

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he plans to meet the chairman of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service to discuss further employment protection legislation.

Mr. Waddington

My right hon. Friend meets the chairman of ACAS from time to time to discuss questions of mutual interest. He has no plans at present to meet him to discuss further employment protection legislation.

I should like to take this opportunity to put on record the Government's appreciation of the exceptional contribution as ACAS chairman of Mr. Jim Mortimer, who retired earlier this month. I am sure the House will join me in welcoming his distinguished successor, Mr. Pat Lowry, as he takes up his important new responsibilities.

Mr. Ancram

I am grateful to my hon. and learned Friend for that reply. Is he aware of the growing public concern at the lack of employment protection afforded in practice to such people as Miss Joanna Harris and other victims of politically motivated local government closed shops? Does he consider present legislation adequate and sufficient to protect these people's right to work?

Mr. Waddington

Nothing could be less satisfactory than the spectacle of a decent, hard-working girl being drummed out of her job by a bunch of mean-minded councillors more interested in Socialist doctrine than their own employees. I freely concede that monetary compensation is not enough in that sort of situation. The difficulty is that no one has yet found a way of enforcing reinstatement, and there is no evidence that, for instance, had closed shops been banned or declared void under our legislation, this particular council would have behaved any less irresponsibly. However, these matters are discussed in our Green Paper, and I hope that my hon. Friend will not be backward in coming forward with ideas. They will all be considered.

Mr. Skinner

Is not it scandalous that this Government should talk about this one isolated incident when the same lousy, rotten Government have thrown more than 1 million people out of their jobs in less than two years? Why does not the Minister attack those employers, such as the one at Roakes bridge near Preston—in respect of which a motion will be placed on the Order Paper signed by many Members of Parliament—where 50 people have lost the right to work because of some tinpot, rotten employer who will not allow them to become members of a trade union? Why does not the hon. and learned Gentleman get on his high horse about that?

Mr. Waddington

I do not consider that the right of someone not to join a trade union is an unimportant matter. These are crucially important matters involving individual rights. The hon. Gentleman will have to look again for someone who will ignore this most important matter.