WOMEN & MUNITIONS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2595, 18 October 1915, Page 3

WOMEN & MUNITIONS

The work which. women munition workers at the Erith factories of Messrs. Vickers aro doing is on the 4.5 in. shells and the 181b. shrapnel (states a London newspaper). They do rough turning, boring, and the preliminary processes, and Messrs. Vickers have, set nsid'o a special foreman to train them, tho training to take three weeks. During the first week anyone who found the work too hard had the right to drop out and to bo replaced from the long waiting list. There are two points made quite clear to all workers—first, that having been trained they aro pledged for six months of week-ends from Saturday afternoon shift at 2.30 to. Monday at 6.30, being five shifts in all; sccond, that the appointing of forewomen from these batches of workers is a. matter that rests entirely with the authorities at Messrs. Vickors.

The idea of the training scheme is to have such a largo body of educated women ready to relieve the ordinary workers, for whom it is a physical impossibility to work seven days a week and keep up the standard of their efficiency. Knowing that tho latter must remain idle over tho week-end, as there are rot enough workers available —in spite of the fact that Belgian women have been dtawn upon—Mrs. Moir and Mrs. Cowan applied to Messrs. Vickers, and their offer was welcomed, as they made themselves responsible for those they brought to the works. ■ The rates of pay are tho same as for the ordinary worker—Messrs. Vickers will not take voluntary workers —and they are not competing with tho industrial woman. The rate of pay is from 15s. to 19s. per week of 6ix shifts of 54 hours.