COLONEL NEWMANasked the Minister of Labour whether consent has been refused to the contractors for the Ministry of Munitions' housing scheme at Radford, Coventry, to pay rates of wages agreed between the Midland Area Joint Council; and, if so, whether, seeing that such refusal is likely to cause a complete stop page of this scheme for the erection of some 250 houses, this action was taken having full regard to the present need for I housing in Coventry?
§ Mr. WARDLEThe position is that an agreement as to wages sottled by the Midland Area Joint Council for the building trade was referred to me for approval under the Wages (Temporary Regulation) Act. On the advice of the Inter-Departmental Building Labour Committee the Minister consulted the Interim Court of Arbitration as to whether ho should approve the decision. On its advice he approved certain parts of the decision, but was unable to agree with that part of it which gave to building operatives in Coventry rates of wages payable in the highest graded towns. Government Departments employing labour in Coventry therefore were unable to let their contractors pay at the public expense rates of wages which the Interim Court of Arbitration advised me were too high. The situation has been altered by cue Industrial Courts Act, which recent d the Royal Assent last week, and the bates of wages to be paid on the scheme, will be those generally paid by good employers in the district.