Report on profit-sharing and labour co-partnership in the United Kingdom

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 1016336950

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-27123

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Report on profit-sharing and labour co-partnership in the United Kingdom

Place of publication:: London

Publisher:: His Majesty's Stationery Office

Year of publication:: 1912

Scope:: 1 Online-Ressource (160 Seiten)

Digitisation:: 2018

Collection:: Economics Books

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Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: II. Profit sharing and co-partnership in private firms and companies

Collection:: Economics Books

54 II. — PRIVATE FIRMS AND COMPANIES. time in sympathy with the general * labour unrest ’ through out the country. They returned to work on practically the same terms as we offered them before they went out, and we have reason to believe that a large majority of them were led by a few, and kept from work by ‘ peaceful pickets,’ thus causing the whole of them to lose three or more weeks’ wages unnecessarily. We are giving our scheme a further trial, as it is certainly appreciated by the employees generally, and it has always been our wish to maintain harmonious rela tions with them. It has the effect of inducing them to take an interest in their work and teaching them to avoid waste; hut as the speed at which a great deal of our work is done cannot be accelerated through any effort of the employees, it is doubtful whether we are recouped for the extra expen diture, excepting through small savings made by care on the employees’ part to avoid waste.” Profit-Sharing in Gasworks. Out of the total of 106,189 persons employed by all the 133 firms known to the Department to have profit-sharing schemes in operation, no less than 28,246 are in the employment of Gas Companies. A short account of the scheme in operation in relation to the employees of the South Metropolitan Gas Company of London, the pioneer of this form of Profit-sharing, will he of interest. South Metropolitan Gas Company. At the beginning of November, 1889, the South Metropolitan Gas Company, which had already been giving its officers and foremen an annual bonus dependent upon its profits since 1886, adopted a scheme of general participation. In March, 1889, “ The National Union of Gas Workers and General Labourers of 11 Great Britain and Ireland ” was formed, and shortly afterwards succeeded in obtaining very considerable concessions in favour of men employed in gasworks. In August-September, 1889, the London dock strike took place; and a general movement was started for securing better terms of employment for the v/orking-classes, and especially for labourers doing heavy work demanding a minimum of technical skill, such as the work required in gas making. In the course of the autumn the Gas Workers’ Union made certain demands upon the South Metro politan Gas Company; these were not resisted, hut the company’s officials became convinced that further concessions wdiich the company would feel unable to grant would probably be put forward by the Union, and that “ a strike was likely to take place “ at any moment without any warning.” In order to avert this contingency, Mr. (afterwards Sir) George Livesey, the chairman of the company, induced the directors to assent to the adoption of a special system of Profit-sharing. The company employs a large number of workmen, some all the year round regularly, the others in winter only. The offer made (on November 6, 1889) to all the regular staff in the service of the company was as follows. The shareholders (as the law then stood) were allowed to receive a

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