§ Sir K. WOODasked the Secretary of State for War if he has recently received 1003W any representations concerning the position of certain workers at the Woolwich Arsenal in relation to the financial loss which will be sustained by them owing to the result of the new holidays arrangements; whether a number of such employés will lose a number of days of holiday with pay; what is the number of such employés; and what is the estimated annual financial loss to them?
§ Mr. SHAWAs regards the first part of this question, I am not aware of any such specific representation. As regards the second part of the question, under the new arrangements, as explained in the reply to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton West (Mr. W. J. Brown) on 11th December last, the employés in question will, if qualified, be eligible for six days' paid leave plus five paid public holidays, making 11 paid holidays in all as compared with eight paid holidays previously. The number of the employés at Woolwich, whom I understand the right hon. Member has in mind, is approximately 800. I cannot agree that there is necessarily any financial loss involved.
§ Sir K. WOODasked the Secretary of State for War whether employés at the Woolwich Arsenal will be allowed to arrange the date of their week's holiday?
§ Mr. SHAWIn the ordnance factories, Woolwich Arsenal, employés will be required to take their week's leave during the week on which the factories will be closed for annual leave. In establishments at Woolwich to which the week's closure is not applied, employés may take their leave at such times as they desire, subject to the exigencies of the service.