Building Guilds—Their Working in England.

Progress, Volume XVII, Issue 2, 1 October 1921, Page 37

Building Guilds—Their Working in England.

( Continued from September Issue.)

DISMISSAL. A worker may be dismissed for insubordination or for slacking. If in the opinion of the foreman any man is not "pulling his weight," he may be dismissed. Every man nas the right of appeal to the Works Committee or to his Onion, ana hnahy, to the Board of Directors. There have been very few cases of dismissal. An instance was brought to my notice of two labourers being reported for not "pulling their weight." These men were spoken to by the foreman, but apparently with little effect. Finally they were brought before the Works Committee, where they were told that if they did not work better, they would be dismissed. The result was an immediate improvement, and there has been no cause for complaint since with regard to them. An instance of a different kind came to my notice in Manchester. A workman boasted that during a recent sectional strike in the building trade he had been a blackleg. This matter was reported by his fellow workmen and, after inquiry, it was found to be a fact. He was brought before the Works Committee and dismissed from his job, and, later on, he was turned out of his Union.

It is not to be expected that all the men who volunteer for Guild work are enthusiastic guildsmen. But Guild enthusiasts set the pace, and this is bound to affect all who are engaged on the job. Moreover, lectures and discussions on Guild principles take place during the dinner hour. THE WORKS COMMITTEE. Each craft on the job, in addition to electing departmental foremen, elects a representative on the Works Committee. This body deals with accommodation for the workmen, general welfare, demarcation questions, complaints, suggestions and, when necessary, with appeals against dismissal. An interesting demarcation question came before a Manchester Works Committee. On other jobs a strike had occurred owing to a dispute between the plasterers and bricklayers over the question of breeze slab interior walls. Both crafts claimed this work as their own. But on the Guild scheme, the secretary called the Works Committee into conference. The matter was settled without any trouble. A compromise was arranged whereby the interior walls were left to the last as jobs in reserve for bricklayers on wet days, but otherwise the plasterers were to regard it as their work. This arrangement is said to have worked admirably, without the least friction. There is a notable absence of the lethargic movements which one is accustomed to see on all kinds of building work. Everybody appears to be working with a will, as though the job had to be carried through with the utmost possible speed. On one scheme, where 236 men were employed, I took particular care to inspect places where, in normal conditions, workmen might be found "miking," e.g., behind stacks of bricks, timber stores, shed's,

etc. In no case did I discover anything of the sort. I watched a group of labourers shovelling earth into carts. it was wonderful how quickly the carts were iiiied. This intense activity was not clue to the intimidation of a vigilant foreman. The men were on their honour. As a workman put it : " It is a question of honour with cne men, they want to do meir best; and they nave every incentive to do so : it is in their own interest that they should." Another man remarked, "You won't hnd any ' swinging 'on this job. The work goes on just the same whether the foreman is about or not." I corroborated this for myself. In the joinery shop ail the men were working at top speed. I discovered that the shop toreman was " away queer." A labourer engaged on digging trenches said : Things are very tair on this job. You don't get 'hunched' about." Another said: "We don't want no 'dogging' on this job. Where's the need ? We shouldn't have volunteered if we didn't mean to do our best." On one scheme I discovered a variation of what I had come to regard as the Guild standard of work, i noticed in my wanderings over the site that there appeared to be a " sagging " in the speed worked by some of the labourers. Among a group employed on excavation work, only a few seemed to be working with a will. The others appeared to hnd a philosophical joy in contemplation rather than activity. I overheard one of the hard workers exclaim : " Come on, mates,, you're letting us down!" This remark had the desired effect. The general foreman explained that, as there were large numbers of unemployed in the neighbourhood, many had volunteered merely for a job, and not because they had been inspired by Guild ideals. Besides, it would take time for their minds and muscles to respond to the new stimuli. His experience was that, after a few weeks, two or three keen guildsmen produced wonderful effects on a whole gang.

INCREASED OUTPUT. Work carried on in such a spirit should result m increased output, and I found expert opinion unanimous on this point. Much controversy has arisen over the number of bricks bricklayers are supposed to be able to lay in a day. It is obvious that the nature of the work determines, other things being equal, the speed at which bricks can belaid. For^ instance, a man engaged on building a straight " wall would lay more bricks than a man building flues or chimney breasts. A bricklayer remarked that in "cottage weaving" there were a number of corners to.be negotiated, and the only fair way of determining averages was to watf until the cottages were completed. On the question of output generally, I was careful to interview the people best able to decide, viz., clerks of the works. Some were more guarded in their replies than others, but all were pleased with out> put Some went so far as to say that outputs on Lruild schemes were 25 per cent, above the average tor similar kinds of work by other contractors.

Notwithstanding the increased speed the Guilds are putting forth, none of the work is scamped. The quality of Guild work is of a very high standard. The Surveyor to the Bently-with-Arksey Urban District Council stated in writing : "The quality of the work is extra good and far superior to that done by any other contractors in the district." A high official of the Ministry of Health declared that the work of the guildsmen at the Clayton Estate was " the best in England and Wales." The Chairman of the Contracts Subcommittee of the Manchester City Corporation said, "Work on Guild contracts beats everything." lhe brickwork on the Clayton Estate is the finest I have ever seen. I heard complaints concerning this scheme; production was excellent, but quality was too good! The Guild, of course, could reduce costs even lower by putting in inferior work. But no Guild craftsman would willingly consent to scamp his work. One of the most hopeful signs of the Guild movement is the revival of the craft spirit. "We shall do work worthy of the Middle Ages," exclaimed one of the Manchester operatives. Every guildsman I talked to appeared proud of the work the Guild was doing. A London operative said : " We want the people to point to those houses, and say, ' Those fine places were built by the Guild.' " A wood worker of 35 years' experience said it was a real pleasure to work for the Guild. Life was worth living because his craft was "honoured and not debased." In the joinery shop the men took pleasure in pointing out the excellence of the work, and how it diffiered from ordinary jerry building. At Walthamstow, where the men had insisted on doing all the joinery work on the site, I examined the cottage dressers. The drawers were made to fit, and were dove-tailed not only in front, but at the back. On another scheme a carpenter was at work on the frame of a mansard roof. It is usual to mortice and tenon only the main posts, and to "cut in" the intermediaries. On this job all were morticed and tenoned. " We are craftsmen," said another, " and the first thing with us is our craft. We like doing our work well. There's no pleasure in scamping. Any man who is a craftsman will tell you that." PAYMENT FOR LOST TIME. Guilds reserve the right to pay guildsmen full wages in wet weather or fine, in sickness or on holiday. Continuous pay, it is claimed, does not increase the cost of production, but actually reduces it, because the workers "pull their weight" under this system. This is corroborated by the resident architect on the Walthamstow housing schemes, who said: "I have never seen a contractor who was able to get his men to work so well." Cynics have stated that this provision for continuous pay will tend to encourage operatives working for the Guild to make their job a convalescent home. This prophecy has not, as far as I could gather, been fulfilled. The pay sheet of the Manchester Guild for the quarter ended

December 30th, 1920, showed that the amount of money paid out in respect of time not worked was less than 1 per cent, of the total wages paid, notwithstanding the fact that during the quarter under review a considerable amount of bad weather

was experienced.

At Walkden, where an average of forty men had

been employed for twenty-three weeks, the amount paid in respect of time lost through wet weather averaged 17s. 6d. a week over the whole period. The fact is, that under the Guild system there is less " raining off." than on the other jobs. The Chairman of the Worseley District Council

Housing Committee informed me that the men on the Walkden scheme had worked during all sorts of bad weather. One man, who had been on tne

job for twenty-three weeks, had only " rained off " three hours. The Chairman of the Housing Committee said : " The men worked many a time in

bad weather when I would not have worked in it.

It should be stated, however, that under the Guild system men are willing to be put to any job that can be found when weather conditions make it im-

possible lor them to carry on their own craft. I came across much evidence to show that guilds-

men generally are very anxious not to " lean on the pool." Of course, there are exceptions. In Manchester I had my' attention drawn to an instance of two men who "went sick" and drew

their pay just the same as though they had been at work. Their " sickness" did not prevent their being discovered in a public-house! This instance was reported and the men were dismissed, and their dismissal met with the approval of the Works Committee. COSTS OF BUILDING. As to the claim that the Guilds can build

cheaper than ordinary contractors, there are grounds for thinking that when the figures of actual cost have been ascertained, the claim will

be supported by facts. Judgment on this point, however, must be suspended. With the exception of two non-parlour houses (part of a contract for

seventy-seven houses) built by Guild labour for the Bentley-with-Arksey Urban District Council, no houses have been completed under Guild contracts. This contract was undertaken in November, 1920, and in less than four months the first

two houses were ready tor occupation. The summary of cost, certified by the Council's surveyor, was as follows :

These figures show a considerable reduction on the original estimate sent in by the Guild, and a saving on the private builders' prices of at least £2OO a house. With regard to all other Guild contracts, there is no statistical evidence of lower

costs apart from the actual estimates submitted in competition with other contractors; but in the schemes visited, all the evidence, apart from actual figures, indicated that the final costs would be considerably below contract figures. An analysis of the estimates sent in by the seven competitors for the Walthamstow Council Scheme for 400 workmen's dwellings shows that the accepted estimate of the London Guild was more than £14,000 below the lowest estimate submitted by the private contractors, or an average saving of, approximately, £36 per house. At Walkden a contract was secured by the Bolton Building Guild. There were four competitors for the first sixty-four houses. The difference between the highest tender and the Guild estimate was £12,244, or £l9l a house. The Guild estimate was £5,626 (or £B7 18s. a house) less than the lowest tender submitted by a building contractor. Even the Guild estimate was regarded as too high by the Ministry of Health. In conjunction with the Ministry the estimates were revised, and on the revised figures the Guild secured a contract for 138 houses. The contract figures (gross) were as follows :

A type, £923; B type, £960; B 4 type, £9Bl. The Manchester City Corporation has entered into contracts for the building of 2,500 houses. At Clayton and Weaste, the Guild has secured contracts for 100 and 184 houses respectively. It was not possible to obtain figures as to the estimates submitted by private contractors, nor was it possible to obtain actual figures as to the cost of houses which private contractors had completed. Tenders were submitted for particular types of houses, regardless of location of housing schemes within the City. The following estimates apply to both contracts which the Manchester Guild has obtained. It should be noted that these estimates were sent in at the end of October when building costs were at their highest. The figures are as follows :

Guild officials are confident that the final costs will be considerably below this, and this view is supported by officials of the Manchester City Corporation. A number of houses were nearing completion on the Clay ton. scheme, and it is expected that figures as to actual cost will be available in the early summer. Allowing for the difficulties of exact comparison, even of similar types of houses,

it will be possible, when private contractors' accounts have been settled, to decide whether the Guilds can in fact build cheaper than the ordinary contractor.

At present, only thirteen Guild contracts have been sanctioned—two for London and eleven in the country. They are in operation at the following places : Altrincham, Bedwell, Brierfield, Clayton, Greenwich, Kendal, Ross, Rotherham, Tredegar, Walkden, Walthamstow, and W'easte. As an example of the efforts which the Building Guilds are making to impress upon their members the nature of their movement, we print here a copy of a poster exhibited in the workshops : BOLTON BUILDING GUILD. Office: 17 Wood Street, Bolton. Fellow Guildsmen,

Remember we are being watched by the whole community. We and our movement are on our mettle, we are on our trial. If. we do our bit, conscious of these facts, we shall win through. If we appreciate the attempt to improve conditions of labour, and the system of continuous pay, it behoves each workman on this contract, from the highest to the lowest, to do his level best to prevent waste of any kind of materials or time,, and to take every care of tools and plant owned by the Guild. Just as sure as the success of our movement stands for the passing of the old idea of " laissez-faire" so sure does the success depend on each and all working for the Guild. •

It is essential that the highest discipline must be maintained. Insubordination cannot be allowed for a moment. Those placed in charge must be obeyed. On the other hand suggestions or ideas for the more efficient carrying out of any part of the contract are to be encouraged. iThese to be given to the departmental foreman concerned.

All grievances should be given to the Secretary in writing and signed, when they will be investigated by the Committee.

FINALLY let each workman work side by side in good fellowship, free from envy, selfishness and conceit. Scamp nothing, shirk no job, pleasant or otherwise, but each do his best—leave the rest to the righteousness of our cause, and those who have made it their duty to interest themselves in our movement, and SUCCESS WILL SURELY COME. Yours fraternally j The Guild Committee. In summing up, it is important to remember that the Guilds are of quite recent growth, and the extent of their operations is comparatively small. It is necessary also to bear in mind that a new organisation tends to attract the keener men. As to whether the pace and quality so far obtained by the Guilds will be maintained, time alone will show. The present situation, however, may be summed up as follows :

1. The Guilds have proved that they are organised on business-like lines and are able to carry out building operations in a workmanlike manner. 2. The quality of the work produced is distinctly above the average. 3. The weight of evidence goes to show that the output per man on Guild contracts is as good as that obtained by the best private contractors, and certainly higher than most.

4. It is not yet possible to make any definite statement as to comparative building costs, but, from the evidence obtained, there is ground for believing that the cost of building on Guild contracts is likely to be lower than the average costs in the districts where the Guilds are not operating. (Concluded.)

£■ s. cl. Bricklayers’ materials 238 14 7 Tilers’ materials £ - s. 238 14 d. 7 96 1 I 8 8 Plasterers’ materials ... 41 17 179 9 Plumbers’ materials 109 0 0 6 6 Painters’ materials 2 3 8 Carpenters’ and Joiners’ 2 3 8 materials 293 14 2931 M 1 Ironmongery 58 14 1 Electrician * ... ... 40 8 80 0 Water charges 20 0 0 0 Carriage (railway) 9 12 12 0 0 Carting ... - - . . . 17 18 170 18 0 Wages 457 6 66 6 5 367 10 1010 10

Brought forward •• 1,367 10 10 5 per cent, establishment charges . 68 7 1 Allowance for continuous pay 80 0 O Insurance ' ... 4 0 0 £1,519 17 1 7 11 11

Type £3, drawing 6 6 ...£824 £824 33 B3 334 ... 4 ...£1,038 .£1,038 55 B3 » 12 12£1,054 £1,054 33 B4 >3 3 ••• 3£1,060 £1,060