• COMMERCIAL MOTOR WORKERS.
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The Attitude of the Men's Representatives at the Nottingham National Conference.
MAVTERS of far reaching importance in relation to the future interests of a great mass cf employees were brought under discussion at the recent National Conference of United
Vehicle Workers held at Nottingham, but, in the course of the proceedings, extending_ over five days, few subjects elicited keener attention than those affecting members •of the commercial vehicle section of the organization, who, numbering 45,000, forni the second largest branch, 75 per cent. of them -being drivers of mechanically propelled vehicles. The impending meeting in. London for dealing with the claims of drivers of single-horsed vehicles to a minimum of 87s. weekly, accentuated the value of the debate which arose upon the efficacy of indus
trial councils, inasmuch as the determination of the
metropolitan body in re gard to that point may form the basis for the es tablishment of the differ ential ratio according to which those having the care of mechanical conveyances are to be remunerated.
In the course of a recent instructive debate in the
House of, Lords, emphasis was laid upon the contention thatI.Industrial Coun cils, devoid of statutory powers, are calcu'ated to be of little effective worth, but the impression left upon the Conference by th e great majority of speakers was that such bodies are capable of supplying an invaluable means for the adjustment of conflicting views, if employers. are disposed so,,to utilize . them and themselves to manifest greater sympathy as to wages demands. That view found very striking advocacy from Mr. 13en Smith, the national organizing secretary of the com mercial section, which, through his strenuous endeavours, appears destined before long to become the premier branch of the organization relative to numeri cal. strength, and, (luring a subsequent discussion upon the subject of national versus local action, the same
estimate as to the value of the newly created bodies was confirmed by a striking utterance by Mr. Kilcommins, of Bolton, who spoke from the practical knowledge accruing from his position as the chairman of •the r.ancashire Industrial Council.
It was revealed, however, that there was not entire
• unanimity of opinion. Mr. George Sanders, national organizer for the bus; industry, declaring that he had always been bitterly opposed to such councils, and that he was more firmly convinced than ever that they did not serve ' the true interests of.the workers. The busmen, he-added, got on very well without them. If they went on strike with the councils in existence, they were condemned. He thought that they could get .no value out of conferences at which they sat cheek by jowl with the employers, whose one interest was to get as much as possible out of them for as little as •possible.
But, before Mr. Sanders had seen fit to strike this 06 . --discordant note in the debate, Mr. Ben Smith'a re-port, recording his strong conviction Of the utility of the councils to workers in the road •transport industry, had placed the consideration upon a very different basis. The National Industrial Council, he, explains was set up in March, 1919, and, since that. time diAlitt councils 'have been established in six areas: London and the Home Counties, Yorkshire, Midlands, North Midlands, South West area and the North West or Lancashire area. The districts in., which councils have not yet been set up are the South Midlands, Eastern
. Counties, Northern Counties, and Scotland. Since the date mentioned, two application* for increase have been dealt with by the National Industrial Council, which have resulted in additions( to wages of 4s. and 5s. peri week respectively. O'er, time rates have also been fixed, and additional payments made for •estling;e Sitnday duty, "wash outs,"'. six statutory holidays, and one week's holiday
annum, with pay, as froni. May, 1920. They had been. successful in establishing district rates of pay for the North Midlands, Midlands, Yorkshire, Londok and the Home Countiesl_ areas, and he was gratified: to be able to report that a' large number of municipalities and private and non-associated firms hact, accepted the decisians of: the national body, thes4 including EM. Stationery, Office, the General Post: Office, the Royal A i r Force, the Admiralty, the Central Stores Depart
ment, and the War Office.
Thus, for the first time, they had obtained national and local machinery for the purpose of negotiations. There are, Mr. Smith pointed out, at present in existence 68 National Joint Industrial Councils, and, although much had been heard of their uselessness from opponents of the Whitley Council scheme,
no industry in which a Joint Industrial Council had been set up had one been disbanded. That in itself,. he thought, went to prove their utility in effecting their purpose, namely, the regular consideration of wages and hours and working conditions and, in addition regularizing production and employment. Whilst he confessed the councils had not yet revolutionized industry, he clainied that they were a distinct means • of negotiating nationally and locally and, as far as
'the section he represented was concernecl they had undoubtedly, operated to, the advantage of the members, especially if consideration was paid to the fact that, prior to the setting up of such councils, he had no adequa,te means of negotiating other than by approaching employers individually. This seein.g -that there were 5,000 employers concerned,' was a costly, cumbrous process, and ineffective, in that if they came to terms with one employer, it was exceedingly difficult to get other employers to follow, and, no matter how successful individual effort might. be,
it did not and could not have the effect of fixing national or distinct rates.
Taking into consideration the badly organized, state of the employees in. the carting and distributing industry, he was firmly convinced that, as a means of negotiating nationally or locally and having a basis upon which to establish standard rates and conditions, so far as his section of the vehicle workers' industry was concerned, the National Joint industrial Council movement was of great value, and was, • in his view, doing incalculable good to their members.
The view adopted by Mr. John Cliff, employees' secretary of the National Joint Industrial Council for the tramway industry, was that it was much too early yet for a considered judgment to be given whether that body will prove of ultimate benefit to members of .the tramway industry. He thought that the tekting time of the movement would be reached, when the works committees are established and in working order, when their members in every locality were pressing their demands, for a greater share in the' control and determination of the conditions and disciplinary regulations under whieh they had to work.
The men were rightly demanding to be treated, not as mere hands, but as men ;' with full rights of citizenship in every sphere of life accOrded to them. The test would be not only whether the employers were willing to concede the right of the .workers to say under what conditions they should .work, but the workers' ability to fashion, daterriiine, and control these conditions and regulations in accordance with their legitimate aspirations would also be severely tested.
What the Whitley Council Can Effect _ He. regarded the Industrial 'Council movement as affording to the workers an opportunity of demonstrating and proving their capaeity to evolve a better and more humane industrial system than the powers that be have, created in the past. Experience during -the sheet life of the Tramway Joint Industrial Council had taught the value of the machinery already in operation, the securing of the proper observance of agreements having been strikingly exemplified in the decisions and interpretation of ,the standing committee. - Many of the decisions could not have been secured by local economic pressure, whilst many others would have meant long and protracted negotiations with the various undertakings and, possibly, withdrawal of labour, before success could have been achieved. The Indnstrial Counci), coupled with national action, was proving a tower' of strength to these of their members who were employed in the small and outlying tramway undertakings.
Ultimately, the worker Must rule both politically and industrially. There had been much undeserved criticism regarding the conduct of the recent 44s. per week application, but' the history of the national wages movement would prove he believed, that no other wage application had been, dealt with so expeditiously. Two or three branches had 'recently suggested that future applications should be preferred through the executive council and the National Transport Workers' Federation, but, instead, as had been argued, of that being a progressive policy, it would be retrogressive, and be putting the hands of the clock back.
Mr. Ben Smith, discussing the-opposition of busmen to industrial councils; declared that it was not the method they were against, but nothing more than the name of the originator of the plan, who, because he was Deputy Speaker of' tit* Houseof Commons, was regarded as belonging co the capitalist class Would they havetaken the same line if they had known that Bob Smillie was on the committee • for Soint Industrial Councils? It was a significant circumstance that, of the. 88 Industrial councils started, not one had been broken up. Such councils did not take away the right to strike. If they did, he would be their fiercest opponent, because it would be nothing more or less than •a form of industrial conscriptiou.
A Further Year's Trial of the Council Urged.
Industrial councils were helping them to make the road transport industry an industry to be looked up to, instead of, as for long past, one of the worst paid in the country, and more casualized even than that of the:-dockers. He urged them to give a trial to the councils for one more year; and, if-at. the end of that time -they did not want them, they could get rid of them-as far' as their own:industry was concerned.
Save Sur the slight exception mentioned, no phase of the conference proceedings was marked by greater heartiness than that in relation to the endorsement of the views expressed by the organizer of the commercial section. Considerable interest subsequently centred in the selection of a committee of seven to revise the rules, there being a. formidable array of candidates, resulting in the appointment of Messrs. Kershaw, Bradford ; H. G. Thomas, Merton ; W. J. Friend, Ipswich ; L. Russell, South London; C. Black, Leith ; q. Sanders, Wolverhampton; and Kilcommins, Bolton, who are to present their report at a delegate assembly to be specially convened. The delegates who represented. all branches. in the United Kingdom, numbered 230, holding credentials from approximately 120,000 members, of whom 55,000 are affiliated With the tramway section, 45,000 with the commercial, and 20,000 with the bus branch. Discussions, at times, were of a' somewhat prolix character, but a substantial amount of business was got through, the gathering being notable from the fact that it was. the first since the amalgamation of the organization 'with the London and Provincial Union.
The proceedings were under the-presidency of Mr. E. Plinston' of Warrington, a welcome being accorded to the visitors, on behalf of the municipality, by the Mayor of the City (Ald. A. Ball), and the Sheriff (Mr. Offiler), representatives of various local trade union bodies joining in the greeting.
In a brief inaugural address, Mr. Flipston urged the need of solidarity, pointing out that, unfortunately in the labour ranks, there were divisions, as there were ordinarily between the two chief pOlitical parties in the State, which had coalesced for the greater part during the peTiod of the war. -Many vital questions affecting vehicles were to be discussed in the course of the conference proceedings. In the London district, divisions had long existed' which it was. hoped to a, large extent to remove by the anialgamation that had been effected after much difficulty.
In the course of subsequent discussion, it was complained that the National Union of Vehicle Workers had been, and Were still, endeavouring to poach upon members of this organization, and had quite recently rejected a propOsal as to amalgamation.
Respecting future arrangements as to Wages of garage worker; it was reported that the London General Omnibus Co., Messrs. Tilling, and the British Automobile Transport Co. had undertaken to meet and 'Issue joint awards. London and provincial busmen, it was also mentioned, had, by a large majority j negatived the proposal for the establishment of a joint industrial council for that branch. of the industry.
Much of the responsibility for the success of the • conference proceedings rested upon 11r. Stanley Hirst, the general secretary, 'who admirably fulfilled his onerous duties, excellent arrangements for the comfort of the visitors locally being made by Mr. W. Habgood, secretary of the Nottingham branch.