Dissolution of National Dock Labour Board

Part of Orders of the Day — Dock Work Bill – in the House of Commons at 8:13 pm on 24 May 1989.

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Photo of Mr Norman Fowler Mr Norman Fowler Secretary of State for Employment 8:13, 24 May 1989

I want to reply to the right hon. Gentleman first. Over the years, a number of offers have been made by employers and a suggestion was certainly put forward by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment when he was Secretary of State for Transport. On every occasion when it was suggested that negotiations on the national dock labour scheme should take place, the reply was the same from Mr. Connolly of the Transport and General Workers Union—that there was no point in having negotiations on either ending or amending the scheme because that would be met by immediate strike action. That is the position that we have had to face.