§ Dr. Owenasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the basic and average wages of employees of all grades at the Royal Naval armament depots.
§ Mr. PattieEmployees at Royal Naval armament depots are civil servants and are paid normal Civil Service basic rates of pay. The scales of pay of non-industrial grades employed at RNADs in the Devonport area range from a minimum of £2,371 per annum to a maximum of £10,944 per annum, according to grade. The earnings of individual staff depend on their salary scales, the incremental points reached and also on any overtime or allowances being earned, but the effect of the last two of these on total earnings is not great.
The rates of pay of the industrial grades are negotiated on the joint co-ordinating committee for Government industrial establishments. The basic weekly rates for non-craft employees at the three RNAD establishments in the Plymouth and Devonport areas (Ernesettle, Bullpoint and Stonehouse) range from £69.65 to £85.75, while craftsmen have basic weekly rates of £91.65 to £98.40. The total earnings of industrial staff include overtime, miscellaneous allowances and incentive payments. Over a recent four-week period average weekly earnings were as follows: 314W
£ RNAD Ernesettle Craftsmen 136.80 Semi-skilled employees 101.60 Unskilled employees 91.98 RNAD Bullpoint Craftsmen 111.65 Semi-skilled employees 100.08 Unskilled employees 87.61 RNAD Stonehouse Craftsmen 129.75 Semi-skilled employees 103.54 Unskilled employees 98.62
§ Dr. Owenasked the Secretary of State for Defence what comparisons are made between the wages of Royal Navy armament depot workers of all grades compared with workers elsewhere doing comparable work; and to what extent they are inferior.
§ Mr. PattieUntil 1980 the pay of the non-industrial Civil Service, of which the employees at Royal Naval armament depots form a part, was based on comparisons with analogous posts in industry and commerce carried out by the pay research unit in accordance with the Civil Service pay agreement. The pay research unit has now been disbanded and the Government has withdrawn from the Civil Service pay agreement. No comparisons are now therefore being made. A committee has however been set up under the chairmanship of Sir John Megaw, QC, to enquire into Civil Service pay generally.
Pay comparison studies for the industrial Civil Service were also carried out in 1975, 1979 and 1980 but no such comparison studies are now being made. The Government are anxious to establish new and acceptable arrangements for the pay of industrial civil servants and to this end will be ready to have full discussions with the industrial trade unions about how the principles which emerge from the Megaw committee might be applied to the industrial grades.
I have no evidence to suggest that current rates of pay are seriously out of line with those in the generality of outside industry.
§ Dr. Owenasked the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from Royal naval armament depot workers on their low wage rates; and if he will take steps to assure them that he intends to rectify this problem.
§ Mr. PattieMy Department has received one such representation, to which a reply has already been sent. I have dealt with the latter part of the question in the reply to the previous question.