WAGE RESTRAINT CALLS FOR SACRIFICE AND HARDER WORK

Chronicle (Levin), 30 December 1949, Page 5

WAGE RESTRAINT CALLS FOR SACRIFICE AND HARDER WORK

LONDON, Dec. 28. The statement of the Trades Union Congress recommending restraints on profits and urages, has been well received by British newspapers though there seem to be reservations such as whether it will-be supported in practice by individual unions. The Times says it is iikely that the general council 's policy will be adopted ' at the approaching conference, for it has the support of both of the great general unions. This will serve littie purpose, however, if in practice the policy is ignored by most of the unions. j it does not look at preseiTt, The Times continues, as if the policy will be generally aeted upon, even thougn it is formally adopted, unless there is a change of mood. The Government themselves have not in the months since devaiuation, helped to bufid up the right atmosphere. In the middle of the T.U.C. 's diseussions on sliding iscale^ the Minister of Labour issued statutory orders which meant increases in wages for many retail trade 'workers. There has been a tendencyj to make the view of the future soj trosy as to make the dras.tic •proposalsj (of the T.U.C. appear hardly justified.; iThe general council themselves have probably made a mistake in tactics ,in allowing their attention to cgncentrate on stability in wage rates rather

than trying niuch more energetically to turn attention to the possibilities of increasing earnings by extending and improving the system of payment by. results. . Calls For Sacrifice ; The Daily Heral'd remarks: "Thero is no blinking the fact that suQh a policy (of restraints) calls for sacrifice, often by some of the least prosperaus people in the land, even if some other seetions of the com'munity temporartly fall short of doing their full duty. Bul to those who may feel aggrieved the general council makes a pledge. It recognises that equality of sacrifice has not yet been aehieved, and it promises to take apprqpriate steps 'to secure more equal sharing of the burd^ns.' Calls on poorly-paid people to acquiesce in their present wage rates are out of tune with unrestricted profit-taking in some industries and with salary increases in some prof'essions. To be justified, such extra drawings on the nation 's baiik balance must square with ihe principle of higlier pay only for higher production. ' ' The Haily; Telegrttpk • sa£a - .tke

T.U.C. has made "an undeniable effort' to shoulder its responsibilites," and adds: "The tribute to the couragf1 of this statement should be ungrudg ing. The Soeialist Government have f far too often cried 'Wolf' and acted like sheep. Our responsible trade union leaders, in spite of the policital conneetions with Socialism to which they still rather pathetieally eling, have woken up to the accumulating dangers, both to organised labour and to the nation, of economic diftieulties coupled with section delusions which have marked and stricken the eonduet of public affairs for the past four and a half years. ' ' © Points for Oriticism. The Daily Mail says the T.U.C. are to be CQiSimended for their courage and for the realism of parts of their statement. "To ask for wage restraint at a time when priees are rising is a remarkable gesture on the part of ' the trade union leaders. It is on the high level of statesmanship, and is indeed a test of the 'courage, resolution, and loyalty' of the whole movement. But we. still find several points for eriticism in the statement. One is that the wage restraint policy gives the trade unions "the right to require complementary aetion by the Government' — presumably in the Bud get. The phrase is indefensible. It suggests that the T.U.C. regard them-, selves as a State within the State. Anyone may propos,e aetion' by the Government but no organisation, however powerf'ul, may ' require ' the Gov emment to adopt any partieular fiscai policy." i The Daily Mail adds that some stimulus in the way of extra profifc' should be allowed exporters, who re quired to turn from old-fashioncd inarkets where profits are easily made and to fight hard for the American market.