The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1943-03-11
Labor News From Britdin

housing, health and medical services,
sick pay, old age pensions, there are
vast problems of international organ
iZation, such as the provision Of agri-
cultural credit, land tenure, land settle
nent, price policy, disposal Of agri-
cultural surpluses, coordination of
production and marketing all OF
which the Tue. is now beginning 10
examine 1t is also making a study of
the decisions on the conference on
agriculture held in Mexico City last
year in which the United States and
81 South American States took part
workers representatives being includ-
ed in their delegations.
Moreover, the T.U.C. has under con
SideratiOn Il plan submitted by repre-.
SentativeS of Central and SolltlI-eaSterI
European trade unionists now in Rri
tain, for the rehabilitation of agricul
ture i'm their respective countries. The
financial and economic organization OF
the League of Nations has been asked
| TO assemble material on these prob
| lens and the whole matter will com.
up before the next meeting of the
LILO. Permanent Agricultural Com
mittee on which the TUG. is repre-
| Sented.
Determining Position OF FOremen
An interesting discussion has beer
opened about the place that fOremel
should hold in the industrial hierarchy
Should fOremen be represented or
they vote as ordinary employees in the
election of works representatives OF
these committees In other plants fore
men are often nominated as representa-
tives of the management. The cOnStiu
| ton of some works committees, how
ever, provide for elected representa-
/ tiveS of the fOremen, or for fOremen t,
be cO-Opted on the Committee to dis
cllSs matters which concern theil
workshop functions. On the other hanC
| it is sometimes argued that discussion
will be freer at works committee
meetings if forenen are not present
A considered view of the question
has been put forward by the Genera
Secretary of the Association of Super
visory Staffs and Engineering Tech
nicians This Union, formerly know
as the National Foremen's Union il
affiliated to the Trades Union Con
gress.
It's general secretary, Tom Agar, i!
| of MI iS
in the constitution of the works com
mittee On the management side, h
points out the higher executives ar,
| invariably represented, but on th'
| workers side it is often only the Oper
atives, and the great middle strata
that is the workshop superintendent
foremen, and other supervisory officer
and technicianS as Il whole - remaiI
unrepreSented
Works Committee Team Spirit
Tom Agar declares his belief that :
Works Committee should not consis
of sides but should be a team, and il
serious effort to develop the team
spirit in the workshops his Union ha
made a practical proposal. In few
plants he says, the Union has beel
able to persuade the management t
allow the foremen and technicians t.
set up their own production council, t
maintain liaisOn with the ordinary pro
duction council Thus the key men il
the shop are able to attend meeting
of the Works committee in a cOnSult:l
tive and advisory capacity. This ha
worked wonders, Tom Agar says, fo
everybody was satisfied.
The official policy of our Association
he says is that employers seeking f
maXimiZe war production and to pre-
vent labor waStage. will encourage tn
setting up of Il fOremen'S and tech
nicianS Production Council as diStinc
from the ordinary Production Council
but having Il close laison with it.
Some experts in industrial manage
ment regard this suggestion of il sepa
rate FOremen's Council as Il SatistaC
tory solution of the problem of asso
ciating foremenship, which is definite
ly q function of management with tn
machinery of workers representation
in the factory.