CO-PARTNERSHIP

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 23, 28 January 1928, Page 20

CO-PARTNERSHIP

'SCHEME FOB CHEMICAL WOBKBRS' Sir Alfred Mond, chairman of Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd.—The great chemical "m&rger" with issued capital of £56,000,000—announced an important development in the relations between the directorate of the company and its 40,000 workpeople all over the country, says <th« "Daily. Chronicle." The scheme includes: A central labour department to deal with the relations of .the company and iti workers. ■ ' •■ ■ . ■ ■ '*■■■ '. ' ' A system of works councils, culminating in a central council equally representing management and workers. •. Promotion after five yean' service to a staff grade of workers with improved conditions. , An unrestricted shareholding scheme for workers. . > The shareholding scheme is' a bonafide scheme' to improve the position of tho workmen. We cannot "mak* the world more prosperous by making the rich poorer. Wo must make the poor richer. The real solution of our industrial problem is to turn the workmen into capitalists, Sir Alfred Mond, M.P., informed the "Daily Chronicle." ' The important point about the scheme is that there will be no restriction of the investments of the worker-—no special kind of unmarketable shares, or any other of the endeavours which have been made to restrict the path of the worker who really wishes to become a shareholder, in the business. We are not out to help people who desire to speculate, but those who desire to save money. We have to safeguard ourselves against the professional speculators in London, and if we find a man not following tho spirit of the scheme, but simply using it to snatch possible market profits, we reserve the right to restrict the issue of .future shares to him. The condition which will give tho next-of-kin fully-paid shares in the event of death of the worker before the completion of instalments provides a form of insurance not achieved elsewhere. These are practical proposals. Some ill-informed representatives of labour have promulgated tho idea that our mercer would do .used to reel"*** 5 ■uages iiid woi sen conditions These JUi^^gals tM i^Bs^JaUja^fcitat..HiifJi