§ Mrs. Knightasked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate he has made of the cost to Great Britain of the strike at the Perry Barr container depot, Birmingham; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BoothI have no means of estimating the cost of this dispute.
I understand that the present dispute concerns a requirement that employees should carry security passes and the blacking of lorries driven by non-members of the Transport and General Workers Union. It is to be the subject of talks between management and the union at national level and I hope these will lead to a speedy solution. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service is ready to help if required.