Deadlock on Markets' Five-day Week
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THE five-day week issue at London's I fruit and vegetable markets which, it was thought, had been settled by the report of the Jack Committee, flared up again last week, writes our Industrial Correspondent. With complete deadlock reached between the market tenants and the union, the claim is now to be sent for arbitration to the industrial Court.
The Committee had recommended that as a compromise a Saturday market should be allowed "during the season of highly perishable produce so long as there remains a genuine and strong 'demand for such a facility ". It proposed a Mondayto-Friday or Tuesday-to-Saturda)"! working week with overtime work at the employers' discretion the other day.
But in direct negotiations between the two sides the union refused to have a five-day working week with a five-and-ahalf-day cover.
The markets concerned in the dispute are Borough, Brentford, King's Cross, Spitalfields and Stratford. The largest produce market of all, Covent Garden, is not involved directly, although it was the agreement there to establish a five-day week, provided the other markets followed suit, that led to the trouble.
In view of the prolonged disagreement, Covent Garden Market Tenants have now dropped their demand that the other markets must fall into line and the fiveday week is to come into force next week, hut with Saturday cover in the summer.