§ Mr. Skinnerasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will introduce legislation providing for a 35-hour week with no loss of pay; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GummerNo. Conditions of employment are a matter for the parties concerned. However, both employers and employees may certainly wish to bear in mind the effect of wage costs on jobs. If those in work take more pay per hour without greater productivity the goods and services they produce will be less competitive and 395W imperil their jobs. Unit wage costs in manufacturing industry have recently been increasing in this country and decreasing in the USA, West Germany and Japan—our major competitors. If the profits earned by greater productivity are spent exclusively on increasing pay the opportunity for expansion and job creation will be lost.