§ 52. Sir C. Osborneasked the Minister of Labour, in view of the facts that trade union discipline has deteriorated in the last 18 months in the shipbuilding industry, that output and efficiency have fallen because of the increase in unofficial 11W strikes, and that consequently foreign buyers are hesitating to buy British, if he will consult the responsible trade union leaders and offer support to stop these strikes; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GunterIn 1964 and so far in 1965 the number of strikes has been relatively high compared with past years but the number of working days lost has been substantially less than previous years other than 1963. Most are unofficial and I deplore these stoppages, which add to costs and delay completion of ships. I am glad to say, however, that in some parts of the country successful efforts are being made by managements and unions to foster better industrial relations and the more efficient use of labour. I hope these examples will be followed and I will certainly do all I can to encourage this.