Orders of the Day — Prices and Incomes Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 21 May 1968.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Mr Roy Hattersley Mr Roy Hattersley , Birmingham Sparkbrook 12:00, 21 May 1968

I have put a case which will be in the House's recollection, namely, the case of Rockware Glass, which the House debated in January, 1967, about which a Prices and Incomes Order was made. Several thousand workers covered by National Joint Industrial Council agreements for the glass container industry and the building trade had agreed gladly and willingly, and knowing the economic realities, voluntarily to postpone a wage increase until they heard that 20 of their number were not prepared to accept a voluntary standstill. The reaction of the several thousand men who, until that moment, had been prepared to accept voluntary restraint was that if there was to be a recalcitrant 20 then they would all have their wage increase.

On that occasion, we used the statutory powers against the 20 men. The several thousand who had always wanted to apply a voluntary incomes policy were happy to apply it. They were prepared to undergo and face the sacrifice which the realities of the economic situation warranted.

That is why statutory powers are necessary and why we must underwrite the provisions of this Bill. That is why the legislation has worked and will continue to work. But—and I cannot say this too often—it will work only if the trade unions are prepared to work with it and accept it and to face the economic realities as we and they see them. We cannot accept all the economic conclusions which the T.U.C. offers to us in its annual