Mr President, I want to draw attention to two aspects in this resolution. One is the way in which trade union rights have been bought out by Caterpillar in a plant in my constituency. The going rate for relinquishing trade union rights is £500. I should like to say to Mr Mather that this is just half the rate that some Members of the House of Commons are currently prepared to accept for asking a parliamentary question.

I understand why Caterpillar workers have taken the money. The amount was very carefully calculated to be just more than most families can easily save. But I am sure they are going to need trade union representation in the future. Just look at Caterpillar's record worldwide. This company is currently cited by the neutral National Labour Relations Board in the United States as having committed 95 violations of Federal labour laws. Fourteen thousand workers have been out on strike there in defence of a trade union principle, and when they did the same in 1992, President Clinton was on the picket line with the workers.

I should like to quote to you from the letter that President Clinton has written to Caterpillar in this current dispute. He says that he wants to challenge companies like Caterpillar that have been split by this issue - trade union principles - in the past to move forward to new chapters of cooperation and economic revitalization. He says: "I hope that spirit can be shown by both sides as you work through your current dispute".

At British Telecom there have already been 70 000 redundancies. Although many have ostensibly been voluntary, I would ask Mr Mather and this House to consider just how voluntary and how much choice many of those workers have. There are to be a further 30 000 non-voluntary - compulsory - redundancies, which is going to weaken this central, fundamental industry in a completely unacceptable way. British Telecom is not going to be just leaner and fitter: it is going to be positively emaciated. There is example after example all over Europe of multinational companies wanting all the advantage of internationalism, but failing to accept the social responsibilities which this Parliament has consistently supported. I hope that you will approve the resolution.

(Applause)