A SEVEN-DAY WEEK

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 26 August 1941, Page 5

A SEVEN-DAY WEEK

BRITISH WAR FACTORIES RECOMMENDATION BY SUBCOMMITTEE (Rec. 1U.30 a.m. i Rugby, Aug. 25 A recommendation that the British war factories should work seven days a week was made by the sub-committee appointed by the select committee oil national expenditure. Work people should, however, have one day’s rest in seven, the committee stated, and suggests that negotiations be conducted with trade unions to make arrangements whereby six days a week for work people may be fitted into a seven-day week. For the factory, the desirability of the management taking workers completely into their confidence is also emphasised. Interesting facts relating to the great increase in output, immediately following the fall of France are given in the report, which states that after that melancholy event working hours increased to as much as 72 weekly and resulted in a “remarkable increase in output.” At the end of a few weeks output dropped and the hours became shorter. The committee reports that a 60-hour week is still being worked by some factories and recommends that an Industrial Health Research Board should consider the question of the “best length of the working week for the wide range of different kinds of work.” —B.O.vV.