§ Mr. W. GRAHAMasked the Minister of Labour whether he can give any further information regarding the strike of joiners in Scotland; and whether, in view of the fact that a new claim has been lodged and will fall to be considered by the industrial court at an early date, he can do anything to expedite the sitting of that court in order to ascertain if there is any chance of an earlier settlement of the present dispute?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI understand that the operative joiners in the West of Scotland have withdrawn from the Scottish National Agreement under which wage settlements have been referred to arbitration every four months, and no 2213W application has been received from them for arbitration either on the present claim for a rate of 2s. 6d. per hour as from the 1st April, in support of which they have struck work, or on the further claim for an additional 3d. per hour as from the 1st August, which I understand they have recently presented. My powers with regard to referring disputes to arbitration are conditional on the consent of the parties to this course. If an agreement could be reached by the Scottish Building Trade as a whole to adopt common action and to accept this method of settlement, it would be possible to arrange an immediate arbitration and to antedate the sitting of the court and the operation of the award by a month.
§ Captain W. BENNasked the Minister of Labour whether he can make any further statement as to the Scottish joiners' dispute?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply which I have given to-day to my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. W. Graham), of which I am sending him a copy.