§ Mr. Marshallasked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that a stoppage of work was caused at a chemical factory in Scotland owing to the introduction by his Department of labour from Belfast at a time when the regular workmen were on short time; that the Belfast men were building-trade and civil-engineering workmen with no previous experience of chemical works; and that it was proposed to include them among the piecework squads and thereby reduce the earnings of the regular pieceworkers; and will he cause inquiries to be made with the object of avoiding a recurrence of similar trouble?
§ Mr. E. BrownI understand that the firm in question recently notified vacancies1154W to the Employment Exchange for 20 heavy labourers for pick, shovel and barrow work, and that as suitable applicants were not available locally or in other parts of Scotland nine applicants from Northern Ireland were submitted. It appears that in notifying these vacancies the firm anticipated a need for extra labour which had not in fact arisen by the time that the additional workers arrived. There was a stoppage of work among the firm's regular workmen which lasted one day and was ended when it was known that the additional men were not to be started.