§ 66. Lady Tweedsmuirasked the Minister of Labour whether he will make a statement on the causes of the most recent industrial disputes at Hall Russell's Shipyard, Aberdeen; and what action he is taking to resolve the situation.
§ Mr. GunterDuring October welders employed at Hall Russell's Shipyard, Aberdeen, were on strike for three weeks in support of a demand that the employer should dismiss two welders who had16W people is not readily available and would take a disproportionate amount of staff time to prepare. I regret that figures showing the occupations of those unemployed from particular industries are not kept by our Department.
Following is the table:
refused to contribute to a levy imposed by the men themselves. The strike was entirely unofficial and national and district officials of the union endeavoured to persuade the men to withdraw their demand and resume work. Their efforts, were, however, unsuccessful and the employer eventually gave the two welders four weeks' notice to terminate their employment. The other men then resumed work on 2nd November. The employer wrote to me about this dispute and my officers took the matter up with 17W the union. Since work was resumed they have also discussed the matter further with the national officer concerned. The unions are actively dealing with the situation and my officers will continue to keep in close touch.