§ 29. Mr. Kenneth Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average wage increase so far agreed in the private sector of industry in respect of wage negotiations so far completed.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerAs I have made clear previously my Department maintains comprehensive monitoring only of certain major settlements which cover almost half the total labour force. Between the beginning of the present pay round and mid-March the weighted average total increase in earnings in major, monitored settlements in the private sector, including the cost of self-financing productivity and other permitted exceptions to the pay guidelines, was around 11 per cent. Because this figure is based on incomplete and often approximate information, it should be taken as an indication only of the size of settlements.