§ Mr. Gouldasked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the average earnings of workers employed in the United Kingdom's textile and clothing industries in the years 1979 to 1984; and if he will compare 182W the increase in earnings against changes in the retail price index and increases in the earnings of all employees during this period.
§ Mr. Alan Clark[pursuant to his reply, 26 February 1985, c. 128]: The following table sets out information from the new earnings survey on the average gross weekly earnings of full-time adult manual employees in the textile and clothing industry, the percentage change in average earnings between 1979 and 1984 for this group and for all employees and the percentage change in retail prices over the same period.
Textiles and clothing industry* Male manual employees aged 21 and over† Female manual employees aged 18 and over† £ £ 1979 84.1 51.3 1980 96.7 60.8 1981 105.8 67.2 1982 111.8 71.9 1983 122.7 77.7 1984 130.9 82.8 Percentage increases between 1979 and 1984 Manual employees in textiles and clothing 55.6 61.4 Manual employees in all industries and services 66.6 69.0 Index of retail prices 63.3 Notes: * Order XIII and minimum list headings 441–9 of Standard Industrial Classification, 1968. Figures for 1983 and 1984 have been adjusted from the Standard Industrial Classification 1980 to a comparable basis. † For 1983 and 1984 figures based on employees on adult rates have been adjusted to the earlier definition.