§ Mr. Michael Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, pursuant to the Written Answer to four Questions by the hon. Member for Melton given by the Minister of State on 20th February regarding the published correspondence about the John Lewis Partnership, it is the normal practice of his officials, when giving guidance to companies about blacklisting, to place a note of the telephone conversation on the file; why this was not done in this case; and what steps he is taking to ensure it is done in future.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerThe role of my officials is to give explanations and advice about pay policy and, as appropriate, to encourage negotiators to observe the pay guidelines.
My Department's experience over many years in dealing with a wide range of problems connected with collective bargaining is that telephone conversations with employers are best conducted informally, on a basis of mutual trust and good will, and that detailed note-taking of such conversations is unnecessary. It is quite exceptional for this approach not to be reciprocated.