Call for Reservation of Tyrecasing Workers • A 'important report on conditions.
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prevailing throughout the tyre and rubber industries, brought about by labour. problems and the absence of skilled operators, has been sent to Sir Andrew Duncan, Minister of Supply, by Mr. R. G. Kirkpatrick, secretary, Tyre Casing Collectors' Association, 81, Lancaster Avenue, Hadley Wood, Herts. Copies of the letter and report have also been forwarded to Lord Leathers, M.okw.T., and to all interested trade organizations.
In the letter it is pointed out that the Association finds itself in the position that its members were appointed by a.Government Department to carry out work which is considered vital, but at the same time are prevented irOm doing so by the absence of labour priorities to secure deferment of their key men.
Every retreadable casing must be retreaded properly, and this cannot be done without skilled labour. To get " reclaim," waste rubber must be used to the best advantage, and the members must have their technicians, chemists, compounders, rubber graders, casing examiners, skilled tyre repairers and vulcanizers; tyre strippers and builders. It is submitted
that there are many tasks which cannot be carried out by women owing to their physical drawbacks and their lack of ttke necessary technical knowledge and skill.
From all over the country are coming reports of the balling-up of key men, including sole working and operating partners of concerns specially appointed bythe MOS., highly qualified tyre examiners, works managers, foremen of tyre-repairing shops and others.
A great number of people engaged in the industry was freely admitted to the early Protective Schedules, whilst' as late as December, 1941, in the revised Schedule of Reserved Occupations, one finds no fewer than 16 classes of occupations covering tyre and rubber workers. Yet, despite the creation of a Rubber Control in January, 1942, and a Tyre Control in April, 1942; the various branches of the industry were omitted from the Schedule of Protected Industries which was drawn up about that time.
The chief Regional Labour Officers of the M.O.S. have admitted their helplessness so long as the tyre and rubber industries are, not included in this Schedule.