CAB128-94_A1b — Page 24

CONFIDENTIAL

CENTARY

ONFIDEN

HOME AFFAIRS

Unemployment

Previous Reference CC(89) 18.2

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1. The Cabinet were informed of the business to be taken in the House of Commons in the following week.

2. THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EMPLOYMENT said that the unemployment figures for May would be published later that Gay. These would show a fall in the seasonally adjusted

tal of 23,000 to 1.835 million. This was the lowest May figure for 8 years and the 34th month running in which ther had been a fall in the total. There had been a

action of 81,000 in the unadjusted total. The unemployment rate now stood at 6.4 per cent, which continued to compare very favourably with that in other Western European countries. Although there had been a reduction of 3,900 in the number of vacancies at Job Centres in the previous month, the number of vacancies was still ver/hid with 218,000 available through Job Centres alone. The increase in average earnings stood at 9.25 per

changed on the previous month. The days lost through industrial action in

2: apart from April 1988, this was the

cent, which has number of work April had been e lowest April fignce 1954.

ONFIDENT

:

Abolition of the

Dock

Labour

Scheme

Previous

Reference

CC(89) 20.2

THE SECRETARY OF STATE

Work Bill had been given Lords the previous Friday: House of Lords was expected to

PLOYMENT said that the Dock

ond Reading in the House of Judicial Committee of the

in hearing the following in hearing the following

Monday an appeal by the Transport and General Workers Union

(TGWU) against the Appeal Court

cent of an injunction to

the three major port employers preventing the TGWU from calling a strike of its members ik Labour Scheme ports. Even if the TGWU won its appeal, it would have to re-ballot its members under the tens of the Employment Act 1980 in order to obtain a fresh mandate for industrial action. Official action could not therefore begin for some time yet. Unofficial industrial action was under way already at Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester and Tilbury, but such action had been called off at a number other ports following the decision of dockers at Hull and Buthampton not to strike unofficially. At present some 200 registered dock workers were estimated to be take unofficial action. Contrary to some press reports too early to say that resistance to the abolition of Dock Labour Scheme was crumbling, but there were some hopeful signs, including preliminary talks between doc workers and employers at Southampton. The unofficial

1

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CONFIDENTIAL

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