HC Deb 04 April 1979 vol 965 cc805-6W
Mr. Michael Roberts

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the annual percentage increase in total earnings, including any forward commitment or offer of comparability study, in every major public sector pay agreement negotiated in phase 4.

Mr. Harold Walker

Responsibility for individual wage agreements in the public sector rests with the sponsor departments concerned.

Mr. Michael Roberts

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the average annual percentage increase in total earnings involved in wage deals negotiated so far in phase 4, including payments made during phase 4 but negotiated under earlier pay rounds, in (a) the total economy, (b) the public sector and (c) the private sector.

Mr. Harold Walker

As I have made clear previously, my Department maintains comprehensive monitoring only of certain major settlements which cover almost half the total labour force. Between the beginning of the present pay round and mid-March the weighted average total increase in earnings in major, monitored settlements in the whole economy, including the cost of self-financing productivity and other permitted exceptions to the pay guidelines, was around 11 per cent. The corresponding figures for the public and private sectors separately were no different at around 11 per cent. in both cases. Because these figures are based on incomplete and often approximate information they should be taken as an indication only of the size of settlements. The averages quoted reflect the earnings effect of 1978–79 pay round settlements. It is not possible to state the earnings effect in the current pay round of delayed settlements from the previous round or of other payments commencing in the current round as a result of earlier settlements. However, any such effect is likely to be small.

Mr. Norman Lamont

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the percentage increase in real manufacturing earnings in (a) money terms, (b) real terms, to take account of inflation from February 1974 to the latest available common date for the following countries: the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Thailand and South Korea.

Mr. Harold Walker

I do not have the data sought.