§ 72. Dr. A. Thompsonasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether he will advance the date when the final stage III of the new wages structure for unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled workers will be implemented.
§ Dr. A. Thompsonasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether he will investigate disparities between the wages of skilled workmen in Her Majesty's dockyards and civilian wages for comparable work carried out by Admiralty contractors.
§ Mr. HayI would refer the hon. Member to the replies which I gave on 28th January [HANSARDcc. 39–40.] to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Portsmouth, West (Brigadier Clarke).
Under the new wage structure the wage rates of Dockyard workers are now assessed every six months on the basis of alignment with the average wage rates paid in a wide range of industries. The selection of these industries was made by agreement with the trade unions and I am satisfied that this new system provides a very fair basis for comparison with outside industry as a whole.