HC Deb 31 January 1963 vol 670 c232W
Brigadier Clarke

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty if he will state the average wage of the unskilled workers in Her Majesty's Dockyard, Portsmouth; and how this wage, including overtime, compares with that of similar workers in civilian yards.

Mr. C. Ian Orr-Ewing

The minimum rate of pay, including ship-repair allowance, for unskilled men in Portsmouth Dockyard for a 42 hour week is 180s. 4d. which compares with 176s. 1½d. and 179s. 1½d. in the shipbuilding and ship-repairing industries, respectively. This figure of 180s. 4d. applies, of course, only to men working on the basic rate; the great majority of Dockyard labourers receive allowances of some kind. Overtime earnings vary according to the amount of overtime worked and cannot usefully be compared on the basis of averages. The rate of enhancement for overtime is the same in Portsmouth Dockyard as in the shipbuilding and ship-repair industry generally.