§ Mr. Moonmanasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will use the facilities of his Department to arrange a 167W meeting between the trade unions and British Rail to assist in preventing the continuing stoppages in the Eastern Region; and what advice he is able to give to the parties concerned.
§ Mr. BoothThe stoppages are wholly unofficial and the signalmen concerned are being urged by British Rail and the National Union of Railwaymen, which negotiates on their behalf, to work normally. The action is being taken to secure improvements in advance of those accepted on behalf of all railwaymen and their unions in the major restructuring settlement earlier this year. Both British Rail and the union are not, I understand, prepared to contemplate changes in that agreement. In these circumstances I would also urge a return to normal working, but do not see my intervention as being appropriate.