Funeral Facilities (Picketing)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 31 January 1979.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Mr Peter Shore Mr Peter Shore , Tower Hamlets Stepney and Poplar 12:00, 31 January 1979

Following last Week's day of action organised by unions, selective strike action against local authority cemeteries and crematoria is continuing in certain parts of the country. According to the latest information available to me, the action is most marked in the North-West, in particular Liverpool and Tameside.

I deplore this action, and I made my views known to the general secretaries and national officers of the unions concerned at the weekend when I asked them to remove, from their list of selective action, crematoria and cemeteries. I was informed last night that advice had been issued by the unions to their members designed to limit the impact of action here on the public.

I take this opportunity of urging the men concerned, whatever their grievance, to reconsider their action, to understand the distress being caused to the bereaved, and the deep offence being caused to the overwhelming mass of our people, and to return to work.