DEMOCRACY IN INDUSTRY
By R. A. L. SMITH
93HE great attention that is naturally given in war literature and I propaganda to British political democracy has perhaps served to throw one very interesting parallel development into the shade ; namely, the growth of economic democracy, of a greater degree of self-government in British industry. The facts deserve to be related and assessed. What precisely has been achieved during this war in the way of democratic procedure in the individual collieries, factories, workshops and shipyards? How far have the mass of workers been allowed an articulate voice in the running of war industry?
It may be said at once that, if war is to be regarded as the mid- wife of social change, the first eighteen months of the present war did little to substantiate this view. The country was still recovering from its state of chronic inertia and no effective attempt was made to entrust the workers with a greater share in the government of industry. True it is that Pit Production Committees, representing employers and workers in the coal industry, were set up by the Coal Production Council before the summer of 194o. But after the fall of France and the wholesale withdrawal of labour from the collieries these committees were allowed to lapse. It was only in the spring of 1941 that a genuine attempt was made, under Government auspices, to re-establish the Pit Production Committees as a step towards greater production and more harmonious relations in the industry. By the summer of this same year nearly every colliery had its joint committee of management and miners. These Pit Production Committees discuss a wide variety of questions affecting production at the collieries and consider specific suggestions from miners. They are now paralleled by the Yard Committees that have recently been set up in a number of shipyards. Although industrial relations in both the coal-mining and ship-building dustries still leave ample room for improvement, there is no doubt that these joint committees of workers and management have done much to create a greater mutual understanding and to increase productive effort.
The shop stewards have been the prime agents in spreading the principles and organisation of Joint Production Committees over the wide fled of war industry. United for corporate action in an unofficial body known as the Engineering and Allied Trades Shop Stewards National Council, the shop stewards held a conference at the Stoll Theatre, London, on October 19th, 1941, at which they gave expression to the workers' growing interest in the problems of war production. Partly as a result of this conference, delegates and representatives of factories and workshops frequently visited Government Departments during the winter of 1941-42. These negotiations bore their first fruit in a constitution for Joint Pro- duction Consultative and Advisory Committees in Royal Ordnance Factories, signed by the Ministry of Supply Industrial Council and the Trade Unions concerned on February 26th, 1942. The con- stitution is a document of remarkable interest and importance. Its declared object is " to establish in each Royal Ordnance Factory a consultative and advisory committee for the regular exchange of views between the management and the workers on matters relating to the improvement of production, to increase efficiency for this purpose, and to make recommendations thereon." It gives as illus- trative of the questions to be discussed such matters as (a) maximum utilisation of existing machinery ; (b) upkeep of fixtures, jigs, tools and gauges ; (c) improvement in methods of production ; (d) effi- cient use of the maximum number of productive hours ; (e) elimina- tion of defective work and waste ; (f) efficient use of material supplies; and (g) efficient use of safety precautions and devices. But the Joint Production Committees are not to discuss matters which are trade questions, such as wages and like subjects, which are covered by agreements with trade unions or are normally dealt with by the approved machinery of negotiation and discussion through shop stewards, staff associations or Whitley Committees.
The superintendent of the factory or workshop is to be ex officio chairman of the committee and is to appoint the representatives of the management, who are not to exceed ten in number. On the workers' side not more than ten representatives are to he elected by a ballot conducted by the Trade Unions concerned, covering as far as possible the various shops, departments or sections of the factory including local inspectorates. All organised workers of both sexes who have served for not less than a year in a Royal Ordnance Factory are eligible for election to the committee and every worker is to enjoy a vote. Some two months after the promulgation of this constitution, on April 25th, 7942, it was announced to the Press after a meet* of the Central Committee at the Ministry of Supply that " highly satisfactory results " had been achieved by the Joint Production Committees in Royal Ordnance Factories. There had been a notable increase in production and an impressive elimination of waste in the use of labour and materials.
It was not to be expected that Joint Production Committees could be established in privately-owned industries with the same facility as in State-owned and State-controlled Ordnance Factories. Nevertheless, the last year has seen a genuine endeavour to demo- cratise a number of industries through the institution of these com- mittees. Thus on March 78th, 7942, a conference took place in London between representatives of employers and workers in the engineering industry. On the following day it was announced in the Press that " The Engineering and Allied Employers' National Federation, the Amalgamated Engineering Union, the National Union of Foundry Workers and the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Union have . . . reached agreement on the establishing of Joint Production Consultative and Advisory Com- mittees." The constitution adopted by the engineering industry for this purpose very closely resembles that of the Royal Ordnance Factories. The rights of the Trade Unions are fully safeguarded. Again, on April 4th, 1942, the Clerical and Administrative Workers' Conference passed a resolution urging the establishment of Joint Production Committees for their members in order that they might emulate manual workers in making the greatest possible contribu- tion to production.
The idea of Joint Production Committees has been formally blessed by the General Council of the T.U.C. As long ago as March, 1942, Sir Walter Citrine, general secretary of 'the T.U.C. declared that " the Trades Union Congress are carrying this (i.e., the agreement for setting up J.P.C.'s in individual factories and workshops) a stage further and are setting up district production committees in a large number of selected districts—one hundred at least. These will be representative of the Confederation of Ship- building and Engineering Unions, and possibly some other unions, and they will be virtually responsible for the operation and working of the workshop committees. This will be another link in the chain." Since then the T.U.C. has done much to implement this policy. In a quite unequivocal manner it has lent its support to the establishment of Joint Production Committees over the whole field of industry. Finally, in a broadcast to the nation on December 20th, 1942, and in subsequent speeches, Sir Stafford Cripps, the Minister of Aircraft Production, declared that in every aircraft factory there should be a properly-run Joint Production Committee on which the workers, the technicians and the manage- ment must be represented, so that efficiency and economy of labour can be constantly under review.
What has been the precise achievement of the Joint Production Committees? An admirable P.E.P. broadsheet on Prpduction Com- mittees (No. 189) gives some interesting examples of action taken by the committees. " The proper distribution of contracts is perhaps the greatest problem in the engineering industries. In some few cases Joint Production Committees have taken a hand in sorting out some of the tangles. One radio factory was running short of contracts and the managunent's representations seemed to have little effect. The working members of the J.P.C. decided to approach M.P.'s, the Regional Board and the Ministry of Aircraft Produc- tion. The result was a re-allocation of contracts." In another instance shop stewards;on the J.P.C. of a certain factory found out that a neighbouring factory had surplus machine-tool capacity. So a sub-contract was arranged for the approval of the J.P.C. and the management, to the mutual benefit of both factories. Joint Pro-5 duction Committees have been notably active in the Planning and Progress Departments of engineering factories in such vital matters as the planning of machine-tool loading. They have done much to smooth the frictions between Production and Inspection Depart- ments that occur almost inevitably in engineering works. New types of jigs, gauges and bolts have been developed at a number of factories under the direct stimulus of the Joint Production Committees.
These committees therefore bid fair to become part of the common structure of British war industry. It must, however, be strongly emphasised that their powers are so far only consultative and advisory. It is to be sincerely hoped that, when management and men have learnt to know each other better and to understand one another's point of view, the workers will be gradually entrusted with administrative and executive powers. And, at the same 'time, the Production Committees need to be complemented by a system of central democratic government for each industry as a whole. This would involve the general establishment of institutions analogous to the Trade Boards and Whitley Joint Industrial Councils. Only when this has been done, and not before, will Britain have attained the goal of full democratic government in industry.
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