§ Mr. M'GUFFINasked the Minister of Labour whether, as the result of failure to reach agreement in the conference held last week of the representatives of the Engineering Employers' Federation and the iron founding trades, the Government is prepared to intervene in this dispute, Which has lasted almost three months and is seriously affecting vital interests of the nation and occasioning hardship and privation to many trades unionists not directly connected with the dispute; whether he can say on what ground the Government delay intervention; whether he is aware that shipbuilding and engineering firms have closed down large sections of their works; whether the time for Government intervention has arrived; and, if so, what steps he proposes to take to effect a settlement of this long continued dispute?
§ Sir ROBERT HORNEI made a statement in regard to this strike in reply to a question put by my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Durham on 3rd December. I explained that the strike had taken place against an award of an arbitration tribunal set up under legislation which is administered by my Department; this is a fact which necessarily has hampered the efforts which my Department have been able to make in connection with the dispute. I can assure the House that the serious affects which the strike is having upon other industries in the country have been constantly in my mind; and no opportunity has been lost of taking any action which seemed likely to assist the parties in coming to a settlement. Recently I and officers of my Department have had repeated conversations with representatives of the parties. The matter has also been discussed with the representatives of the Engineering and Shipbuilding Trade Unions, who were deputed at a meeting of these unions last week to 81W endeavour to ascertain whether they could in any way assist to bring about a settlement. This Committee when they were seen at the Ministry of Labour a few days ago had the assistance of a representative of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress. As a result of the negotiations which have been in progress, a meeting has now been arranged between the Engineering Employers' Federation and the three unions, and will take place on Wednesday of this week.