§ Mr. Bossomasked the Minister of Labour if he will endeavour to settle the dispute between the Transport and General Workers' Union and the Electrical Trades Union, which has resulted in nearly 2,000 electricians being on strike, and is thereby holding up the completion and adding to the cost of building work in the London and Home Counties.
§ Mr. BevanI would refer the hon. Member to the answers given by my hon. Friend to the hon. Member for Hackney, South (Mr. H. Butler), on 20th March and to the hon. Member for Hertfordshire, South-West (Mr. G. Longden) on 10th April.
Unfortunately, at the further meetings no mutually acceptable procedure for settling the dispute could be agreed. As 189W the stoppage of work was having a serious effect on the progress of certain vital Government contracts and also holding up the completion of housing schemes and other important work, I decided to appoint a Court of Inquiry forthwith to inquire into the causes and circumstances of the dispute. At the same time, I asked the Electrical Trades Union to recommend to the other men a general resumption of work and I am glad to say that, as the result, work was generally resumed on 17th April, apart from the 19 men directly involved at the Bethnal Green Depot.