Warehousemen hit out at docks scheme
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A STRONGLY worded memorandum has been sent by the National Association of Warehouse Keepers to Mr Michael Foot, Secretary of State for Employment, on the proposed 'extension of registered dock work. NAWK suggests, in a letter to member firms which summarises the full memorandum, that an extension to the dockwork employment scheme threatens many member firms' existence and would certainly greatly increase prices to customers.
NAWK says that since the Chobharn Farm Container Depot accepted registered dockworkers after the last dock strike it has lost money. The original employees have, it is alleged, been relegated to menial tasks, with the inference that the registered dockworkers have taken the "plus jobs." Pilferage, says NAWK, is reported as rampant, one report putting losses at near the Eimillion mark.
Other points in NAWK's letter: o Some £30m of taxpayer's money has already been paid to dockworkers as compensation for losing jobs, with still more money sought.
0 Despite dockworkers' being possibly the most protected group in the country, with guaranteed employment till the age of 65, high wages, benefits and welfare, and workers' participation, their productivity in London and some major ports has sunk to levels far below that of Continental rivals.
0 An extension of the registered dockwork scheme would mean that employers cease to control recruitment, redundancy, discipline and the size of the labour force. Moreover, employers would have to pay a levy for this "privilege."
0 There has been no consultation with employers not concerned with docks in the "five-mile corridor." Since every job in the transport, warehousing and distributive industry is at stake it is important that the customers, storekeepers, drivers and checkers now have their say to avoid the risk of an overnight extension of the corridor, and a takeover by nationalised registered labour.
At the annual lunch of NAWK in London last week Mr Jim Prior, MP, Shadow Employment Secretary, said he thought it would be catastrophic if the Government extended the dockworkers' registration scheme. Shop stewards from the road haulage and warehousing industry had told him that they were fed up at losing out to their " brothers " in the same trade union. He urged the greatest possible protest •by those concerned with an extension of the dockwork scheme in the interests of consumers, and of the preservation of free enterprise.