The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1943-04-22

| the Ministries concerned have not i'm
posed Joint Production Committees
upon industry by decree, but they did
set an example.
For instance, the Ministry of Supply
entered into written agreement with
the Trade Unions in the engineering
trades to establish committees i'm ROYAL
Ordnance Factories.
The Minister of Fuel and Power
fOstered the development of Pit Pro-
ductiOn Committees and assigned to
them considerable responsibilities in
the carrying out Of The Governments
coal production program.
The Ministry of Labor and National
Service strengthened the position of
the Joint Workers COMMITTEES by as
signing specific functions to them un-
der the Essential Work Orders, which
now cover a very large range of indus
try.
And the Minister of Production has
arranged that problems which cannot
be settled inside the plant may be
referred upon agreement by both
parties to the district and regional
production machinery under its CON
trol--and this machinery is also organ
lied on the basis of direct representa-
tion of employers and workers.
The National Trade Unions as we'll
as the national employers associations
are actively associated with this move
ment The Unions have extended their
own District Committee machinery to
link up both these workshop commit
tees. The Trades Union Congress at
tacheS so much importance to the Joint
Production Committees that it is now
asking that Essential Work Orders
shall include provision making the
establishment of such committee Oblg-
the element of compulsion is not felt to
| be an indispensable factor, and the
hope that this new system of worker
management cooperation, and union
/ employer relations, will be a pdma-
= nent feature of British industry after
? the war depends upon the spirit of
: voluntary association which has ruled
+ it hitherto.
Y Tapping Brains
2 Not unconnected with the work of
D Joint Production Committees is the
: proposal made recently by the Minister
: of Production for the setting up of
e Suggestion Boxes in the workshops
5 Quite number of factories have
a adopted this idea, to provide means by
which the wOrkpeOple can offer Sug.
gestions for the Improvement of pro,
s duction methods which may not be OBJ
t viOus even to fOremen, and which will
n be assured of careful consideration by
- the management.
T. The scheme of the Suggestion BOS
5 has been long enough in operation t,
u Justify its extension, on the basis OF
. its proven value. Some firms have hat
l. Suggestion Boxes for many years. One
:, firms Suggestion Box has existed fol
fourteen years, and at least thirty pei
, cent of the suggestions put into the box
s have been accepted by the manage
ment \ Midlands firms Suggestion
, Box last summer yielded a flood OF
!. suggestions of which over fifty per CEN
Y We're successfully applied.
Prizes For BrainWaves
:, Some of the suggestions are extreme
a ly simple, not to say, obvious. For in
I stance, boxes containing rounds o.
cOrdte, sent from cordite factory Il
l. a filling factory had their lids fastened
5 down by six or eight screws: and the
u hnvny hn nl. fn thn cnrl IA
= factory had all these screws screwed
. back into their place before dispatch
n The brainwave of one worker was tina
!. only two screws should be driver
home, at diagonally opposite corner:
!. to hold the lid. and the rest of th'
screws put into the empty box. Thi:
II simple suggestion saved the labor %
l y men at the filling factory, an,
r probably Il similar saving at th'
cordite factory.
r Most of the firms which have adopt
ed this suggestion keep their Sugges
t. ton Boxes open all the year round
|. But some firms stage special cam
) paigns for the best ideas on some givel
). subject, such as salvage of fuel econ
Omy. Prizes are announced for th
T best ideas in such campaigns. One firm
s has scheme by which prize of /!
b is given for the best idea submitte'
during a quarterly period, and priz
l. of 500 awarded for the best SuggeS
). ton made in the year. Other firms tr.
Il to adjust the cash award to the actua
, amount the firm saves by adopting th
bright idea. The arrangements hav'
!. actually been made to make awards o
cash prizes immune from income ia!
e. on the part of the recipient and als'
J. admissible as deduction when tn
T. employers profits are compute TO-
taxation purposes.
. II