The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-01-30
LABOR NEWS
FROM BRITAIN
. MAKING FULL USE
OF BRITAIN'S MAN POWER
. WITH THE HELP
. OF THE UNIONS

Sixteen months of bold experiment
cannot be said to have solved COM
pletely all the PROBLEMS of Labour
regulation and supply to the war in
dustries. This is not altogether sur
prising in view of the compleXity of
these problems.
A determined effort is being made
to speed up the transfer of labour,
trained and qualified, to the war
trades. The whole question of war
production, coordination of transport,
the training of skilled labour, and the
complicated arrangements that have
to be made to secure priority in the
production and distribution of essen
tial supplies, is being tackled now
from fresh angle. Before these
notes are published overseas the new
methods Of control and. regulation,
both of labour and production, will
probably have been announced.
The difficulties with which the Gov
ernment, the Unions and the employ
ers' associations are graphing are of
technical character. Only those who
have been concerned with the vast
turnover of labour to the war trades
can fully appreciate the complications
which have arisen.
The training Of workpeople for the
skilled processes Of war trades is be-
ginning now to produce important re-
suits. Some of the methods which
have been adopted have already vim
dicated the policy of the Ministry of
Labour in relying upon the good will
and cooperation Of employers and
workpeople. Unions in the engineer
ing and shipbuilding trades are par
ties to an agreement with the employ
ers and the Ministry for the training
Of recruits to these industries under
actual workshop conditions.
Training in the Workshops
Under this agreed scheme employ
ers whose plant is not fully occupied
on war production have undertaken to
provide training facilities and skilled
instruction. Recruits are supplied by
the Ministry Of Labour. They do not
enter directly into the employment of
the firms that have undertaken to pro-
vide training facilities. The trainees
draw not wages but allowances, and
these allowances are paid not by the
employer but by the Ministry The
Ministry, too, is responsible for plac-
ing the trainees in employment on the
completion of the course of instruc-
ton. An essential principle of the
scheme is that trainees will not be
employed in the workshops where they
receive their training.
Financial pg9Xirion has been made
in the scheme to enable employers tc
pay the recognized scale for in
structors in Government Training
Centres to those skilled workers in
their employment who give whole
time or part-time to the instruction OF
trainees.
The principle governing these finan.
cial arrangements as between the
Ministry, the employer, and the skilled
| worker is that the last-named shall
not lose any proportion of normal
earnings by reason of the fact that
the whole or part of his working time
is devoted to instruction. The trainees
| themselves receive an allowance fol
dependents as well as personal al
lowancc. The scale of allowances
covers travelling expenses and board
ing arrangements, and are on the
same basis as those framed for
trainees at the technical colleges
which are now practically all under
the Minstry's control, or in the Gov
ernment training centres.
The training given in the work
shops is subject to inspection by the
Ministry. Employers who provide
facilities are expected to use them ex-
clusively for training, but actual pro
duction is a complementary result of
the scheme.
Women Trainees for War Work
Great emphasis is laid by the Min
istry upon the Importance of training
women for employment in the wal
production trades. Women are being
coached not only for repetition pro
cesses but also for higher categories
Of skilled employment. A woman
aged II and over who enters upon a
course of training is entitled to pay
ment from the Ministry of the stand
ard lodging rate (Which is generally
about 19s. week. plus personal
allowance OF 7s., with an additional
allowance of 3Os. for an adult depen-