SCIENTIFIC WORKERS.

Northern Advocate, 18 August 1919, Page 1

SCIENTIFIC WORKERS.

A NEW DEVELOPMENT IN TRADE UNIONISM.

ROYAL SOCIETY MEMBERS,

The National Union of Scientific Workers is something; new in the history of professional organisation m Britain and of organised labour— the term is used in its, widest application—and it is, perhaps, not top much to say that its appearance will help to strengthen the intellectual basis of English trade■wpjf>ir"3Tn \- for on its roll are thirty members of the Rp|ajU §pcj|e|y, thr^e gp)& Medallists, states the- "Westminster Gazette."

"Our union," said Mr Sinkinson, the in a conversation with a "Westminster Gazette" representative, 'was started in the latter part of 1917 by a little band of scientific workers in Cambridge. Dr Norman Campbell, Demonstrator in the Cavendish Laboratory, was one of the leaders of the movement. The basic qualification of membership ig a university science degree, or the examination qualifying for such diplomas as th e council may prescribe. The objects of the union are twofold; we are concerned with the part to be played by science in the, national life, and with the conditions of em* ployment of scientific workers. The establishment by the Government of the Department of Scientific and-In-dustrial Research opened the eyes of scientific workers to the need for organisation. Since th e start we have gone forward to the establishment of an employment bureau to advise workers on the one hand-and manufacturers on the other, to find suit-' able men to help them in the scientific conduct of their businesses. Only the othe r day I read of a firm that was persuaded to appoint a chemist, and shortly afterwards one of the partners was asked how the arrangement was working. 'Why,' he, said, 'the man earned his salary many times over by something he told us before he had been there a fortnight.' Unfortunately, however," said Mr. Sinkinson, "some British manufacturers expect a man to make bricks, without straw. They appoint ihim and leave him without any equipment."

"Trade unionism to us," Mr Sinkinson continued, "means simply a body of workers discussing their economic aims. Our policy is on« of federation with organisations whose aims are similar to ours. For instance, at the present moment we are about to federate- W-ith the National Association of Industrial Chemists (1000 mem,b.e.r,s) r , s and the Electrical Power Engineers' Association (3000 members). There are bodies with aims similar to our own, and are definitely constituted trade unions. Whether the new> ■ society, will send representatives to the Trade Union Congress, lejnains.,to. be seen; but it will not become affiliated with the Labour Party, for it is not considered desirable that it should be tied to,any political organisation at present. It is, of course, open to the council to reconsider that decision at any time.

The membership of the National Union of Scientific Workers is at present about 600.