A COMMON BASIS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 212, 7 September 1945, Page 8

A COMMON BASIS

EMPLOYER AND WORKER RELATIONS DISCUSSED Wellington, Sept. 5. Means of improving relations between employers and employees in New Zealand were discussed at a meeting held under the auspices of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. Mr. S. W. Paterson, president of the chamber, presided, and there was a large attendance oi representatives of commercial and industrial interests. The principal speakers were Mr J. McDonald, former trade union branch secretary at the Hutt Workshops, who is now associated with the trade training centre of the Rehabilitation Department, and Mr. G. J. Howcroft, personnel manager of General Motors (N.Z.), Ltd. “The problem of employer-employee relations in New Zealand is such that unless we can all work solidly together |to find a working basis with a hope lof a solution the future of industry is I not too rosy,” said Mr. McDonald. There were nearly 400 trade unions with approximately 220,000 members in New Zealand. Before the war Britain had 160 trade unions with over 5.000,000 members so that New Zealand appeared to be over-unionised. He understood there were 270 employers’ unions covering 15,000 employers. I It was. safe to say that 60 per cent, of the trade unionists in New Zealand were conscious of the fact that it was to their advantage to unite in bodies which made at least some attempt to protect them in the economic field. Much time and energy were spent by unions on both sides in opposing one another and not enough attention was paid to helpful and constructive consideration of problems common to both parties. His experience over many years had showed that individual employers and workers could work together and get results for the common good. CO-OPERATION ON THE JOB.

In the main trade unionists were not concerned with trying to prove that the employer was always wrong. Co-operation was most important on the job itself. Insufficient attention had been paid to the man right down on the job. High wages were not enough. Conditions and the general welfare of the worker were not given the consideration they .should have. Every factory and workshop with 100 or more employees should have its welfare department and in small factories groups of employees could co-operate to establish welfare departments to deal with the health and general problems of workers and their recreation and cultural pursuits. As things were at present in Nev.Zealand, employees’ welfare w mainly relegated to the background while the tight for higher wages weni on. Nevertheless, many employers realised the wisdom of co-operating with trade unionists. After all, they were all working towards a common objective, that of creating a happier state of affairs in business and industry. As a gesture of good faith, the suggested welfare departments should be placed under the supervision of trade unionists. Care and knowledge would have to be applied, but reason would undoubtedly prevail. Mr. McDonald also suggested the establishment of factory committees as a means of increasing production after the plan had been laid down. The committees should take the form of discussion groups to decide how the olan could best be carried through. “I believe that we have the talent and the initiative in New Zealand to bring about a better understanding, to gel a basis in industry that will provide the best possible conditions, where by organisation everyone will find full 1 employment if able and willing to I work, where common sense will pre- | vail, and every man will be placed to I the best advantage,’’ said Mr. Mc- ' Donald. “I believe that can be done if we have the will to do it.” COMMON OBJECTIVE.

Mr. Howcroft said they could not do better than start at home in bringing about an improved state of affairs in the world. Much could be done by the Governmvent to provide full employment, but it could not by legislation effect an improvement in em-ployer-employee relations which was most important. History showed that the transition period from a war to a peace economy was one of industrial strife. War produced in the services all the better qualities because all had the same objective. Two major principles of war which could be applied effectively to peace were the maintenance of the objective and the co-oper-ation of all .arms. The first thing was to define the objective. Next was the method of approach which more often than not would require modification to meet the needs of circumstances. As each circumstance arose all concerned would ask how it was going to affect his objective. Could industry—management and men -find a common objective and work toward it? He thought it could.

Men generally throughout the centuries had had little reason to trust their employers. Consequently in endeavouring to build a new order employers must be prepared to be regarded as on probation till such time as the suspicious employees w’ere satisfied there was no catch. Patience and then more patience was needed. If management could not exercise the qualities needed for co-operation - patience, trust, faith and fair-minded-ness—what, chance was there of the employees exercising them? His company created a personnel department, to refute the often made statement that discipline had gone because o'

war conditions. To realise that industrial discipline had been built, on the wrong foundation—the fear of dismissal—was a great step forward. The new situation called for leadership as opposed to domination and damnation. To be a good leader a man must have the men's confidence; to gain this confidence he must command respect; to command this respect he must fully exercise the ordinary decent human qualities. The big stick method would pot get real discipline—the only discipline came from the voluntary co-op-eration of all. FACTORY RULES OVERHAULED To improve morale his company tackled the discipline. It overhauled factory rules wrote the reasons against them and where they were not good, threw out the rule as irksome. The result was a few well-seasoned rules which must be obeyed because they realised these were essential to efficient running.

Smoking used to be prohibited. Fire precautions were taken, smoking allowed, and an estimated loss of 60,000 man-hours a. year in “lavatorymongering” was saved. Against this.; a ten-minute break for tea supplied by the company was taken every morning. These breaks accounted for 33,000 man-hours a year. The new rules brought, better application to the job, and a different aimosphere. On some jobs where a check could be made, the increase in output ranged from 27 to 30 per cent. He had a “grouse session" during the lunch four for individuals or groups. That had broken down because the men were now too busy playing games in the lunch hour to worry about him. The social side was developed to improve morale; games and competitions in the lunch and tea breaks were started. Practically everyone in the plan was playing some game or other. Outside working hours there were dances miniature rifle shooting, annual picnic, children’s Christmas party, and so on. These activities helped the men from various departments to get to know one another and fostered a departmental spirit. There was a suggestion scheme under which any man could suggest improved working conditions or methods. Successful suggestions were awarded a prize based on merit.

Now the question was what could the men do to co-operate; what did the management qxpect? As he saw it, the only way the men could cooperate was by playing the game according to the rules laid down in the factory rules and the industrial awards and to give a fair day’s work for a fair days’ pay. This was not too much to ask. “ Appealed to on those lines, (he majority of men would respond. In subsequent discussion of the subject it was agreed that points of difference between employers and workers should not be over-emphasised, and that in many instances good will existed in a marked degree. The chair, man urged the desirability of young men who hoped to take a prominent part, in commerce and industry studying social and economic subjects at the uni versi ty.