§ 48. Mr. Needhamasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on his meeting with Joanna Harris, on her dispute with Sandwell council over its closed shop agreement.
§ Mr. WaddingtonOn 9 February, my right hon. Friend met Miss Joanna Harris and three other employees 327W of Sandwell metropolitan borough council who had been threatened with dismissal if they did not join a trade union. My right hon. Friend reaffirmed his support for their refusal to give in to the council's threats, restated his condemnation of the council's intolerant policy, and noted that NALGO is also disregarding the TUC's own guidance on the closed shop which urges tolerance. He explained how the law now operates since the passage of the Employment Act 1980.