§ Brigadier Clarkeasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty how the wages in Her Majesty's Dockyards compare with the national average of £16 14s. 11d., giving skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled wages separately.
§ Mr. HayThe national average earnings for manual workers in October, 1963, of £16 14s. 11d. were related to an average working week of 47.6 hours. The corresponding figure for Her Majesty's Dockyards was £16 8s 3d. for an average working week of 47.5 hours. Separate figures are not available for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled men.
§ Brigadier Clarkeasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty if he will give an assurance that the workers in Her Majesty's Dockyards will receive the recent wage awards granted to engineers, shipwrights, &c., in civil yards, and that 40W it will be back dated to the date of the civil awards.
§ Mr. HayWith the agreement of the trades unions, it was decided last year that wage rates in Her Majesty's Dockyards would no longer be related to those negotiated in the engineering and shipbuilding industries. Under the new scheme, they are being assessed every six months on a broader basis, by comparison with the average of a wide range of rates extending over private and public employment. This will be of appreciable advantage to employees in the Royal Dockyards as shown in the following table:
Minimum wage rates in H.M. Dockyards Effective Date Craftsmen Labourers £ s. d. £ s. d. 9.7.62 … … 10 4 2 8 18 10 1.10.63 … … 11 11 0 9 12 0 1.4.64 (Estimated) … … 12 5 0 10 2 0 The rates for 1st October, 1963 and 1st April, 1964 are higher than the previous basis of calculation would have achieved.