§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity why the Government have agreed to a 20 per cent. increase in pay to the forces, increases to dockers, 10 per cent. to Post Office workers, 8 per cent. for policemen, and increases for gas, water and electricity workers; and what progress has been made on the question of implementing the nurses' and teachers' claims for increased pay.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerThe Government have not recently approved general increases in pay for Armed Forces, dockers or policemen. An offer averaging 9.4 per cent. by the Post Office and agreements relating to water and electricity workers were accepted in the light of the guidance in the White Paper on Productivity, Prices and Incomes Policy after 1969 (Cmnd. 4237); the Government were not satisfied with the agreement relating to gas workers. The questions of absorbing the 327W effect of the gas agreement without price increases, and pay and productivity in the water industry, have been referred to the National Board for Prices and Incomes.
There is to be a further meeting of the Nurses and Midwives Whitley Council today. At a meeting of the Burnham Committee on 6th February no agreement was reached: the Committee is to meet again on 15th February.