§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he is satisfied with the working of the Jones-Aldington agreement on dockwork; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if there are any plans to change the terms of reference of the Jones-Aldington agreement.
§ Mr. Mayhew:The joint special committee on the ports industry was set up in 1972 by the National Joint Council for the Port Transport Industry under the joint chairmanship of Lord Aldington and Mr. Jack Jones. The committee produced an interim report in 1972 and a final report in 1974. A number of the committee's recommendations were specifically endorsed by the National Joint Council. It is for the employers and unions in the industry to decide whether or not they wish to modify these arrangements.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in the Official Report the number of registered dock workers employed in England and Wales prior to the Jones-Aldington agreement in 1972; and what are the numbers employed at the latest available date.
§ Mr. Mayhew:I understand from the National Dock Labour Board that the number of registered dock workers in England and Wales was 40,735 at the end of 1971 and 22,332 at 30 September 1980.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied with the present working of the National Dock Labour Board; and if he will make a statement.
138W
§ Mr. Mayhew:The answer to the first question is "Yes". The board is not of course answerable to the Secretary of State for its detailed operations, which are carried out within a broad framework imposed by legislation.
§ Sir David Priceasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the number of registered dockers in each port; and how many in each port are surplus to requirement.
§ Mr. Mayhew:Following is the information requested:
139W
Port/Area Numbers of registered dock workers at 30 September 1980 Numbers of severances authorised at 30 September 1980 (1) (2) (3) Newcastle 78 — Dunston — — North Shields 81 — South Shields 86 — Blyth 63 — Sunderland 70 — Seaham 15 — Middlesbrough Dock and River Tees 849 31 Hartlepool 107 6 Hull 1,818 157 Goole 284 9 Grimsby and Immingham 1,068 48 Boston 125 1 Wisbech 20 7 King's Lynn 86 2 Yarmouth 82 — Lowestoft 26 — Ipswich 136 — London 6,023 158 Medway and Swale 597 19 Southampton 1,708 5 Poole 86 — Weymouth 38 — Plymouth 66 — Cornwall 121 — Bristol 1,154 9 Sharpness 93 — Gloucester 9 — Newport 383 2 Cardiff 334 8 Barry 149 7 Port Talbot 58 5 Swansea 236 — Liverpool 5,024 326 Manchester 925 40 Preston 85 85 Fleetwood 164 1 Cumbria 51 — Ayrshire 65 — Greenock 162 1 Glasgow 411 — Aberdeen 280 32 Dundee 112 — Methil 28 3
Port/Area Numbers of registered dock workers at 30 September 1980 Numbers of severances authorised at 30 September 1980 (1) (2) (3) Kirkcaldy 14 — Burntisland 10 — Grangemouth 292 — Leith 190 — Totals 23,862 962 Column (3) shows numbers of severances authorised by the National Dock Labour Board at individual ports after joint enquiry has found a number of registered dock workers surplus to operational needs.
§ Mr. Steenasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average gross pay of dockers currently at work at London, Liverpool, Preston and Manchester.
§ Mr. Mayhew:I understand from the National Dock Labour Board that for the second quarter of 1980 the average gross earnings—including overtime and shift payments—of all grades of registered dock workers in London were £167.37 per week, in Liverpool £114.21, in Preston £111.06 and in Manchester £134.25. The figures for particular ports will have been influenced by the level of traffic and by the timing of pay reviews.
§ Mr. Steenasked the Secretary of State for Employment how much has been paid out to dockers in severance pay in each of the last 10 years, specifying how much has been paid in each of the principal ports.
§ Mr. Mayhew:The total cost of severance payments to registered dock-workers for the years 1970 to 1979 is as follows:
£ 1970 5,839,247 1971 3,863,067 1972 22,529,815 1973 13,787,584 1974 52,330 1975 10,362,887 1976 7,063,259 1977 5,986,066 1978 6,599,315 1979 16,207,688 Detailed information about the amounts paid in individual ports is not readily available, but can be obtained from the National Dock Labour Board.
140W