The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-04-10
and comments before putting the

and comments before putting the
scheme into effect.
This is one Of the major safeguards
against bureaucratic interference with
the efficiency of industry. The revision
of the scheme of reserved occupations
is, however, necessary because the
nations resources of man-power avail
able for industry are not ineXhaustible
nor even very elastic.
New Sources of labor are being
tapped as fit men of military age are
withdrawn from commercial employ
ment of every sort for the armed
forces and full-time civil defense SER
vices.
One such source is the reservoir
of normally unemployed women and
girls-unemployed that is, in the in
dustrial sense. There is also a reserve
of qualified woman labor in the less
essential trades, many of them with
experience of mechanical processes.
Additional to that too, is the re-
serve of older and less fit men in these
trades. All these sources are being
tapped simultaneously.
To make the reserves of labor in
the less essential trades available for
vital war production is, in fact, the
main purpose of the third scheme
which has caused considerable pertur-
baton in some quarters.
A cooler contemplation of the
scheme, however, has lessened these
apprehensons. For one thing respon-
sibility is imposed upon each indus
try to prepare it's own schemes for
concentrating production, and for
enconomising labor. Trade Unions and
the employers organizations are set
tling down now to an examination of
these problems, and it won't be any
bureaucracy that will decide how the
scheme is to be carried out.
In a recent broadcast to North
America the Chairman of the 7. U.
C. General Council referred to the
work being done by the British Trade
Unions to preserve Trade Unionism
in the occupied countries of Europe
Behind this reference lies a significant
development in the activities of the
T. U. c., among the refugee workers
from the occupied countries.
Trade Unionism is being safeguard
ed and extended amongst these work
ers under the guidance of the T. U
c.. General Council. Results are most
encouraging.
Action was taken first to deal with
the special circumstances of Nor.
wegian seamen and Belgian anc
Dutch diamond workers who came to
Britain when their countries were
overrun. Trade sections were formed
amongst these workers to enable
them to enter into negotiations witt
their own employers with the suppor
and help of the British Unions.
Later when engineering, building
and general workers groups Of ref
ugees gathered in Britain, discussion:
between the T. U. C. and the Inter
national Federation of Trade Unions
led to the formulation of definit'
policy for organizing the continental
workers on the basis of trade ant
nationality.
The British Unions have assumed
responsibility for dealing with wages
working hours and conditions of EN-
ployment for the refugee trade union
lists, group by group.
1t has been agreed that those VIII
enter British industry shall be ad
mitted to the appropriate Britisl
Union. At the same time every in
dividual refugee is encouraged to be
come a member of his national group
Whilst the British Unions provid
trade protection the provident benefit
provided by Trade Unionism will b
in the hands of the national groups.
Thus within the framework of tn
, International Federation and in or
ganic connection with the Britis
{ Trade Unions, a permanent Trad
. Union organization Of homogeneou
national groups has been created.
1t forms the nucleus of reorganiza
: tion of the various National Trad
5 Union Centres in the occupied coun
, tries when the war ends. Meanwhile
I it keeps the continental workers to
gether, in constant contact with thei
! own Governments, their own Trad
Union leaders, and the British r. [
c. as the vital centre of Europea
Trade Unionism.