§ Mr. Milneasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will arrange for his conciliation department to examine the official dispute between Empire Pools, Blackpool, and the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, in view of the company's breaking of a recognition agreement aranged at a meeting held under the auspices of a conciliation officer.
§ Mr. Chichester-ClarkMy officials conciliated in a joint meeting between representatives of Empire Pools Ltd. and the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers on 24th November 1972, when the company agreed to recognise USDAW as the appropriate union for employees of Empire Pools and agreed to discuss with the union certain dismissals.
My officials have since approached the company and the union and offered to assist in the present dispute. The company has indicated that it feels that no useful purpose would be served by a meeting at this stage.