HC Deb 18 January 1988 vol 125 cc511-3W
Mr. Gregory

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many permanent registered dock workers in each year from 1980 to 1986 have been dismissed by their employer for an offence justifying summary dismissal under the disciplinary provisions of the dock labour scheme; and how many of these men have been reinstated by order of local dock labour boards and appeal tribunals;

(2) how many permanent registered dock workers in each year from 1980 to 1986 have been suspended from work without pay under the disciplinary provisions of the dock labour scheme; and how many of these suspensions have been reduced in severity and how many totally withdrawn upon appeal to local dock boards;

(3) how many registered employers employing permanent workers have gone out of business in the years 1975 to 1986; how many registered dock workers they employed; how many of these dock workers were then allocated by the National Dock Labour Board to other employers; and how many of these employers had no work for them.

Mr. Nicholls

The information is not readily available in the form required without considerable and detailed research at local board level.

Mr. Patnick

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which ports give preference to the sons and other relatives of dock workers already in employment when recruiting registered dock workers through the National Dock Labour Board to ports covered by the dock labour scheme.

Mr. Nicholls

Ports currently known to be giving preference to relatives of dock workers already in employment when recruiting registered dock workers through the national dock labour scheme are as follows:

  • Middlesbrough
  • Hartlepool
  • Hull
  • Goole
  • Grimsby
  • Immingham
  • Wisbech
  • Yarmouth
  • Lowestoft
  • Ipswich
  • Aberdeen
  • Dundee
  • Burntisland
  • Newcastle
  • North Shields
  • Sunderland

Mr. Patnick

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average age of registered dock workers(a) in each port and (b) for all ports covered by the dock labour scheme.

Mr. Nicholls

The average age of registered dock workers in each of the scheme ports, as reported in the last available annual age group survey in July 1986, was as follows:

Average Ages
Port 1986 (1985)
Newcastle 50.3 (49.3)
North Shields 44.9 (44.1)
South Shields 47.3 (46.5)
Blyth 50.0 (50.4)
Sunderland 42.3 (43.7)
Seaham 52.3 (52.7)
Middlesbrough 42.9 (42.4)
Hartlepool 46.6 (46.7)
Hull 50.4 (49.8)
Goole 50.8 (50.9)
Grimsby and Immingham Comm.fish 42.4 (42.1)
45.4 (44.4)
Boston 52.7 (52.1)
Wisbech 56.6 (55.2)
King's Lynn 49.8 (49.4)
Yarmouth 45.1 (47.0)
Lowestoft 41.3 (41.6)
Ipswich 49.1 (48.2)
London 48.7 (48.2)
Rochester 40.6 (40.3)
Sittingbourne 41.7 (43.7)
Sheerness 46.5 (45.7)
Southampton 45.5 (45.3)
Poole 41.0 (40.3)
Weymouth 46.6 (47.1)
Plymouth 42.9 (42.9)
Fowey 47.5 (46.5)
Par 48.8 (47.8)
Charlestown 34.0 (33.0)
Falmouth 45.3 (44.3)
Penzanc 41.7 (42.0)
Bristol 39.7 (40.4)
Sharpness 41.2 (42.7)
Gloucester 54.8 (53.8)
Newport 44.2 (44.8)
Cardiff 42.7 (43.0)
Barry 43.7 (42.8)
Port Talbot 51.4 (51.2)
Swansea 48.7 (49.5)
Liverpool and Birkenhead 47.1 (47.2)
Garston 43.3 (42.7)
Salford 48.3 (46.5)
Ellesmere Port 46.5 (46.2)
Runcorn 43.1 (42.2)
Weston Point 44.6 (-)
Fleetwood 42.9 (41.9)
Whitehaven 45.4 (44.4)
Workington 44.3 (43.3)
Silloth 38.5 (36.0)
Barrow 46.5 (45.5)
Ayr 48.1 (47.1)
Ardrossen 50.2 (49.2)
Hunterston 39.1 (38.1)
Greenock 41.8 (40.8)
Glasgow 46.7 (46.0)
Aberdeen Comm. fish 46.5 (45.9)
42.6 (42.6)
Dundee 46.0 (45.7)
Mathil 47.0 (46.0)
Kirkcaldy 56.0 (55.0)
Burntisland 49.3 (48.3)
Grangemouth 41.6 (40.7)
Leith 52.7 (51.9)

The average age for registered dock workers at all dock labour scheme ports in this annual age group survey was 46.3 years.

Mr. Key

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the average under-employment of registered dock workers in ports covered by the dock labour scheme in each year for the period 1967 to 1986, after taking account of sickness and holidays, expressed as a percentage of the national register.

Mr. Nicholls

The average under-employment of registered dock workers in ports covered by the dock labour scheme in each year for the period 1967 to 1986, after taking account of sickness and holidays, expressed as a percentage of the national register is as follows:

Year Average Under-Employed Average National Register Percentage Under-Employed
1967 (37 weeks) 5,173 60,144 8.6
1967 (15 weeks) 3,649 57,505 6.3
1968 3,340 56,563 5.9
1969 3,964 52,732 7.2
1970 2,336 46,912 5.0
1971 4,790 45,491 10.5
1972 3,137 41,247 7.6
1973 1,938 34,509 5.6
1974 3,303 34,582 9.6
1975 4,951 33,638 14.7
1976 3,632 31,062 11.7
1977 2,605 29,470 8.8
1978 3,802 28,680 13.3
1979 3,460 26,898 12.9
1980 4,103 24,492 16.8
1981 3,828 21,022 18.2
1982 2,018 16,788 12.0
1983 1,744 14,631 11.9
1984 1,669 13,403 12.5
1985 1,814 12,193 14.9
1986 1,354 11,168 12.1

Mr. Key

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the maximum severance payments available to registered dock workers in each year from 1972 to 1986 in the ports covered by the dock labour scheme.

Mr. Nicholls

The relevant figures are:

£
1971–74 12,330
1975–76 5,250
1977 7,000
1978 27,000
1979 8,500
1980 10,500
1981 16,000
1982–83 22,500
1983 22,500
1984 25,000
1985 25,000
1986 325,000
1 £4,000 for a limited period 1972–73.
2 £8,500 in London only.
3 £35,000 agreed under special schemes in London and Liverpool.

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