§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he is prepared to amend the statutory immunity provisions of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Acts 1974 and 1976 so that the special privileges accorded trade unionists would not be available for action taken in contemplation or furtherance of a trade dispute by pickets who are neither members of the union nor the firm involved in the dispute or who are acting contrary to the express instructions of the union involved or who conduct secondary picketing outside the premises of a company in no way engaged in the dispute.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerNo. The Government believe that the most effective way of ensuring that picketing is conducted responsibly is by seeking agreement on a voluntary code of conduct. Accordingly, without prejudice to whatever else may emerge from the current consultations on picketing, we are working as quickly as possible towards the production of an agreed code of practice.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) whether he is prepared to amend section 15 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1974, referring to peaceful picketing, to make provision for laying of regulations covering a code of practice to be adopted by pickets defining the number of workers to be engaged in a picket by relation to the size of the work force involved, those eligible to form such a picket and for methods of identification;
(2) whether he is prepared to amend section 15 of the Trade Union and 339W Labour Relations Act 1974 relating to peaceful picketing, to provide that it is illegal for pickets to demand or receive money as a condition of entering into premises or to demand subscriptions to a union for such purposes or to impose any restraint or restriction on the workers' personal freedom;
(3) whether he is prepared to amend section 15 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1974, relating to peaceful picketing, to make provision for laying of regulations covering a code of practice to be adopted by pickets and for fines and attachment of earnings in the event of a breach of the code;
(4) whether he is prepared to amend section 15 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1974, relating to peaceful picketing, to make provision for laying of regulations covering a code of practice to be adopted by pickets to limit picketing by strikers to the premises of the employers involved in the dispute as opposed to general or secondary picketing in view of the disproportionate damage sustained by industry and the public.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerMy right hon. Friend has currently no plans to amend section 15 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1974. However, as the Prime Minister told the House on 16 January 1979—[Vol. 960, c. 1549.]—steps have been taken to expedite the Government's general consultative exercise on picketing which was launched in October 1978. Whatever else may emerge from the consultative exercise, the Government aim to work as quickly as possible towards the production of an agreed code of practice on picketing.
§ Sir Nigel Fisherasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, having regard to the difficulties recently experienced with secondary pickets, he will now consider introducing legislation to make secondary picketing illegal.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerI have no plans to introduce such legislation. I refer the hon. Member to the Attorney-General's statement to the House on 25 January and to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Bedford (Mr. Skeet) today.—[Vol. 961, c.706–7.]