The Cine Technician (1939)

March-April, L938 T HE ( ' I N K T K ( ' 1 1 N I ( ' I A X .212 SIR WALTER CITRINE, k.b.e. General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress, writes on : PAID HOLIDAYS FOR ALL // will /'(■ recalled thai . I .c . / . gave evidence before the to total costs of production from one industry to another, Government's Committee on Holidays With Pay, and dealt according to the proportion ol wages to total production with the specific problems of the film industry. It associated costs; bui thai in any case it is not likely to be high itself generally with the evidence and recommendations oj certainly not as bigh as I percent, of the total wage bill, the Trades Union Congress which out distinguished contri us had been suggested. Even ii its cost was I per cent . , butoi outlines below. however, we offered calculations to show that industry EVIDENCE has been submitted to the Government's "M|M wel1 afford [tCommittee on Holidays With Paj on two separate finally we submitted to the Committee the T.I .('. occasions by the representatives oi the Trades proposals m the following summary form: Qnion Congress. On June 8th, 1937, it was m\ (:l) Al1 ' ' ' '! ''' '> ,m1 persons shall be guaranteed In law, duty as General Secretary of the Congress to appear before illter 12 months' service oi not less than 1,800 the Committee with Messrs. II. iVnv. \Y. Holmes, and working hours, or such hours as max be agn >d W. Lawther as representatives of the T.U.C. General u> fche organisations of employers and workei TS Council, accompanied l.\ Mr. G. Woodcock, Secretary ol m {]u" industry, concerned, an annual holiday the T.U.C. Research Department. A comprehensive v\ un pay oi at leasi 12 working days, exclusive Memorandum, embodying the main grounds of the "' hank and other public holidays. workers' claim for annual holidays without loss of wages, (ll) A" l"'rs",ls who have b< en employed for a period was presented to the Committee, and upon this mv col "l service of less than L2 months shall be enleagues and I were interrogated \,\ members of the Com titled to '"' annual holiday with pay oi nol less mittee who wished to elucidate points raised in our state tli:m <,m' <% £or each completed month of servient vice of not less than 150 working hours, or such Our mam Memorandum, with a verbatim report of hours :|S ni:,.v be agreed by the organisations of m\ oral statement and answers to questions, appeared in employers and workers in the industry conpamphlet form under the title "Holidays with Paw" corned. Briefly, we emphasised to the Committee the" Trade Note.— The hours stated in paragraphs (a) Union view that for large masses of workers, with their and (b) are olll.v intended to serve as illustra families, opportunities of leisure in the form of annual tions, and should noi be incorporated into the holidays have hitherto been restricted by lack of means. general law. We consider this is a matter which Some classes of workers, mainly the non-manual or salaried r""1'1 ,""s, effectively be dealt with by collec groups, have enjoyed holidays "without loss of earnings l>.\ tlV(' agreement with other recognised negotiat long-established custom. Holidays with pay for other lnB machinery. classes of workpeople have been obtained mainly through (c) The qualifying period of service necessary to secure collective agreements negotiated h\ Trade Unions or by Sl"'1' holiday ma\ he spent in the service of one individual arrangement and custom. '"' several employers. We pointed out thai this country lags behind main ((1) As a general rule, it should be provided that the others. We cited evidence that a system of paid holidays holiday should be taken in one unbroken period. as a Legal right has developed in 38 countries, such as '" exceptional circumstances, however, the France (where the statutes provide for 15 days' holiday, holiday may be divided into two periods, proincluding at least 12 working days with pay); Norway yided that one period shall be of not less than (where provision is made for a minimum of 9 days' annual rislx consecutive working days, holiday); the U.S. S.R. (where the legal minimum holiday (''< Tlae holiday payment shall be such as may be is 12 days). decided by collective agreemenl or other estab Legislation in 22 countries ensures paid holidays for lished negotiating machinery in the industry all classes of workers, or gives statutory effect to industrial concerned, but all persons shall receive as a agreements in which the paid holiday is incorporated. minimum the customary hourly or weekly time In five other countries it covers manual workers only. rate provided for their grade as defined by any A. feature common to most countries is the increasing collective agreement, Trade Hoard. Order, oi extent to which Governments are finding it desirable to decision of a Joint Industrial Council or other extend the principle of paid holidays by legislation to coyer approved negotiating machinery governing Ins both manual workers as well as salaried employees. employment. We urged that this is a necessary consequence of (t) Incases where employed persons are paid partly mechanised industry and the speeding-up that has taken '" ,'as'1 and partly in kind, their payment for place in connection with it in many productive processes. ""' holiday shall include a cash equivaleni ol Nerve-strain has become a common malady among wage nu> Sl"''' lvl leration or other emoluments. earners. Sickness, proneness to accident, absenteeism and (s) '''"' contraci of service shall not be broken by other factors which interrupt regular working are part oi trade dispute, nor shall the period of continuity the costs winch industry now hears that can he set off of service required in order to secure entitlement against the cost of introducing a general and comprehen t" :l holiday w ith pay be broken by interruptions sive system of annual holidays with pay. occasioned by sickness, accident, family events, I stated the view that in' this country the cost of an military service, (he exercise of civil rights, inannual fortnight's holiday with pay will vary in relation (Continued on previous page)