Tre following resolution was cconted by the conference, having been submitted by the dock seminar after their detailed discussions. "Bearine in mind the unsatisfactory working of the present Dock Labour Board Scheme, and the inefficiency of private mterprise in the operetionw end employment of port labour, we pronose: 4. that the port industry be brouryht under the ownershin of a Single hetional Port «authority. This ".P.4i. shovlé have the power to maintain, operete, and develop port installations 2. the elimiiation of private port employers which follows from this act of nationalisation would mean thet the 50% of the seats at present occupied by oe enployers on tne Notis al Dock Labour Board would discopear 4. thet therefore the function: and power of the NDL3 should be taken over bv c structure of Workers! Councils, which would be elected by the Trade Unicns in the industry. 4, thet the N.PA.and the Trade Unions be responsible for negotiating basic weces and enrditiors in the industry. 5. that the Vorkers' Councils, in addition to their direct and couplete self-management powers in the area previously occunied by the MDLC, should be civen coanlete access to ell deliberations, decisions, @nd accounts of vhe Pei siiey WIDE powers anc duties to report beck to the porteworkers, cnd with the wer of anneal to Tarlicment against decisions of the t.r.1. This reso ution auends quite considerably the oririnal draft Plan, which was submitted to he conference by Bockwor: e om Voice, and
”
_ which was printed in The igek, vol 3, no.21, of hay 27th. In that
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plan, it was envisaged —— & nationelised dock indust - should be opcrated b a National Port futhority, (with Moards at ynetional, re; ional and port levels ) which woulé contain 50; vworkers' representatives and 50% representation of tne 'nublie interest', The Netionel]l Dock Lebour 3Goard would continue to exercise its present functions, with a sirilar fifty-fifty distribution of seats between public ond workers’ representctives. The workers' representstives would -— in the case of both N.i.:.. end PDLD, - be elected from anc by ‘orkers' Councils set up iy each port, The function of these worl.ers' councils therefore, woud be simply that of an electoral college,
e discussion’ in the Docks groun at Manchester centred round the ssue of joint-control - i.e. the clainw for DOK representation. ho Dr is ct present controlled on a 50/50 basis, and the seneral eelin. was that this had not worked satisfactorily; that in ~setice meny Of the functions which should be under MDLD control -.c€ slipped béck into the hands -f the employers. If the industry. ere vaticrclised, the representatior on the MDID now allotted t¢-
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