§ 101. Sir W. Smithersasked the Minister of Labour if he has considered details, which have been sent to him, to increase production in industry without increasing overhead costs; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WatkinsonMy right hon. and learned Friend has read with interest the material which my hon. Friend has sent him on the subject of suggestion schemes in industry. Many such schemes are in operation and can be of real value, but their adoption and detailed application are matters for decision by employers, in consultation with their workpeople.
§ 102. Sir W. Smithersasked the Minister of Labour to give, in any convenient form of money, wages, or of tonnage per annum, an estimate of the loss incurred in national production which the loss of two million working days, caused by industrial disputes, represents.
§ Mr. WatkinsonDuring 1952 about 1¾ million working days were lost in stoppages caused by industrial disputes. Information regarding the monetary loss to workers or the loss in production to the country arising from these stoppages is not available, but it is estimated that the loss in man-days represented about 0.03 per cent. of the possible number of working days in 1952.