§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the increase in real earnings of railway signalmen and white collar workers in the private sector since 1979; and what were the corresponding increases in productivity.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe available occupational information from the new earnings survey in 1979 closest to that requested is for full-time railway signalmen and shunters and in 1993 for railway signal operatives, crossing keepers, shunters and points operatives. When adjusted for the increase in the retail prices index at April, the earnings of this group increased by 47.3 per cent. during the period.
The corresponding increase for private sector full-time non-manual employees was 51.6 per cent.
The information requested for productivity is not available.