HOURS OF WORK IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

Hutt News, Volume 16, Issue 10, 5 August 1942, Page 4

HOURS OF WORK IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

=. The United Kingdom Ministry of Labour recently issued an announcement en hours o|' work which, contained till' follow i ity passage: "Where il. ifs I'oiind that bourn of work fall short, of fifty-two per week exclusive, of meal breaks in the case of industrial work, or forty-six hours per week exclusive of meal breaks in the ease of office staffs, it will be assumed that a reduction of staff' could be achieved by increas-

ing the* hours of work of staff retained. unless there are special circumstances which make this inappropriate." The announcement did not set out either maximum or minimum hours of work, but pointed out thai (be fullest utilisation of man-power and woman-power could only be achieved if every person was a.s far as possible working the fullest number of hours in the week and the fullest number of weeks in the year which, could reasonably be expected of him. The actual position with regard to hours of work in the United Kingdom is as follows: Before the war, hours for adult male workers were regulated in most industries by collective agreemen!.?• at between forty-four and forty-eight hours, excluding overtime, and hours of women and young persons were regulated by the Factory Act. I9;i 7. limiting the maximum hours worked to forty-eight. Soon after the outbreak of war tiie.se arrangements were regulated by a new procedure. Under this new procedure authority was given to depart from the peace-time requirements of the Factory Act if permission was obtained from the Factory Inspector and after consultation had taken place with the Trade Unions and individual factory managements. After May, l!>4n, the urgent production needy of the country caused the abandonment of the ordinary regulation hours. For a time a seven-day week was worked. On the 22nd May, Royal Ordnance factories and Ministry of Supply eontractors were told to work a fulltime seven-day week; most Royal Ordnance factories were then working two twelve-hour shifts; this meant in practice a working week of about seventy-three hours. Equally long hours were worked in aircraft factories and in ship-repairing industries. Certain Clydeside shipyards and armament works, where (here were only half-hour breaks in a twelve-hour shift, were working a.s much as a 7 7-hour week. Where, however, sufficient skilled labour was available, a three shift system was sometimes worked; this in volved a maximum nii-hour week. In this period of intense production women were called upon to work its long hours as men; the official week in most munition factories was then 7<)-7F> hours. In .July. 194n, the Ministry of Labour and National Service issued ;a memorandum on hours, weeks and | maximum output. The menioranj dum slated: J "It is :s* ill of vital importance to maintain war production at the maximum ... If this end is to he achieved . . . adjustment of the present long-hour week is essential" Il was suggested that for adult | males a three-shift system should be introduced soon as labour could be sufficientl.v absorbed to provide an adequate supply of sufficiently skilled labour. This would mean a reduction of working hours to the region of a aa or iiti-hour week; in the interim il was possible that a ti'i-hour week would be desired in many cases, hut that should be considered su tfieien 11y high For women and young persons hours were to be regulated by the Factory Act. subject to modifications approved by Emergency Order. This' is roughly the standard still aimed at. By July. 1!)41, all shell-tilling factories were working on a three 8-hour shift basis and mechanical factories were being changed to Ilia.! basis.