Labour in War Time (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1915 Excerpt: ...Clyde strike was in full swing. The reference to arbitration took place on February 24, by agreement between the parties. It was then, from the point of view of the Government, supremely important to secure a satisfactory settlement. The shipyard dispute was of national extent, and affected, among other districts, the Clyde area. In view of the new spirit manifesting itself in the Labour world, it was imperative to satisfy the shipyard workers. Is it too much to say that these considerations had much to do with the comparatively good terms conceded by the Committee? If the Clyde engineers got little for themselves, they certainly helped the shipyard workers to a fairly substantial advance. By the time the Committee issued its award on the Clyde dispute, these considerations were no longer paramount. The award was delayed as long as possible, and, thanks to the action of the men's own Executive, there seemed, for the moment, no further risk of trouble. The Committee appears to have settled the Clyde dispute in a punitive spirit, by conceding as little as it possibly could. The subsequent wages awards of the Committee only call for passing mention. In March they required that the standard rates agreed to by masters and men in the boot and shoe trade must be paid by all employers, federated or unfederated, for Government work. They were also entrusted with the settlement of the claims put forward by the Admiralty Dockyard employees, which they decided on lines roughly corresponding to their award for workers in private shipyards. During April they dealt with a much larger number of cases, the most important being that of the Manchester engineers, to whom they conceded 3s. a week or y per cent on piece rates. A body which has settled so many claims must, it wou...