HC Deb 31 January 1978 vol 943 c86W
17. Mr. Bulmer

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when, in the light of the industrial relations problems demonstrated by the firemen's recent strike, he will introduce legislation to assure freedom of conscience to individual workers in a closed shop.

Mr. Harold Walker

Current legislation gives those drawing up closed-shop agreements the opportunity to make provision for those who have conscientious objections to trade union membership. Experience has shown that flexibility of this kind is more likely to bring about satisfactory solutions to individual problems than statutory provisions which put the minority against the majority.