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65 Page 26, line 12, at end insert—
(c) by the National Freight Corporation or any subsidiary of that corporation.
§ The Commons disagreed to this Amendment for the following Reason:
§ 66 Because work done by employees of the National Freight Corporation ought not to be classifiable.
§ Lord JACQUESMy Lords, I beg to move that this House doth not insist on their Amendment No. 65 to which the Commons have disagreed for the Reason numbered 66. I beg to move.
§ Moved, That this House doth not insist on the said Amendment, to which the Commons have disagreed for the Reason numbered 66.—(Lord Jacques.)
§ Lord DRUMALBYNMy Lords, is the noble Lord able to tell us why work done by employees of the National Freight Corporation "ought not to be classifiable" in the view of the Government? What do they mean by, "ought not to be classifiable"?
§ Lord JACQUESMy Lords, in the opinion of the Government, the terms and conditions and general employment circumstances of the employees of nationalised industrise who might come within the scope of Part I of Schedule 3 are considered to be such that the bringing of their work within the Dock Labour Scheme is never likely to be justified under the provisions of Clause 8.
§ Lord DRUMALBYNMy Lords, does the noble Lord think that it is certain that there will never be any industrial disputes as a result of this distinction between what is done by the National Freight Corporation and what is done in exactly the same sphere by other aspects of dock labour?
§ Lord JACQUESMy Lords, our position here is much the same as it is with the railway docks. We believe that the conditions of employment in both cases are such that there is no need for classification. Both sides of industry are carrying on and they have not got the kind of problem that we are trying to deal with, the problem of casual labour.
Lord SHENWELLMy Lords, it would help to clarify the matter if my noble friend would state specifically what is the nature of the occupation of these employ- 1018 ees of the National Freight Corporation. Does it differ fundamentally from the labour undertaken by the dockers who are embodied in this legislation?
§ Lord JACQUESMy Lords, they work under a collective agreement under which there is complete agreement between the employer concerned and the trade union concerned, and there are conditions which are comparable with those which apply under the dock regulation scheme. We do not think that in that case it is necessary to classify the work.
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.