§ 39. Mr. AtkinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the effect of higher productivity on the current level of pay settlements.
§ Mr. NichollsPay, including its relationship with productivity, is a matter for the judgment of individual employers in the light of their particular circumstances, but moderation in pay settlements is essential for competitiveness and jobs. Our international competitors enjoy lower growth in unit labour costs because they have considerably lower growth in earnings.
§ 89. Mr. StevensTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the increase or decrease in productivity for the last 12 months for which figures are available.
§ Mr. LeeProductivity in manufacturing, as measured by output per person employed, was 7.7 per cent. greater in the three months ending November 1988 than in coresponding period of 1987.
Productivity for the economy as a whole was 2.6 per cent. higher in the third quarter of 1988 than in the third quarter of 1987.