The principles of industrial welfare / by John Lee.

  • Lee, John, 1867-1928
Date:
1924
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The principles of industrial welfare / by John Lee. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    suspicion which is not unnatural, What is needed at the present moment is the basic wage for various industries having some recognition of the value of the services ren- dered and then a more frank attitude of exploration on the part of the employers and of the workers. No one wishes to remove the protection of the trade unions. What is desired is that they shall really be protective and not merely the organs of limitation in such a way as to force the owners not to go beyond the general standard as agreed upon. There is much to be learned from the Ford system, even if we admit at the outset that it is not the universal example which it is often said to be. The first thing to be learned is that the Ford system of remuneration could never have been devised by corporate bargaining. The trade unions have something to learn at this point lest they should become, as they often are, the surest pro- tection against bold risks in methods of remuneration by the employer. A sound basic system of corporate bargain- ing would be so arranged as to be positively invitatory to various employers to build their own system of remuneration upon it as a basis. This uniformity of corporate bargaining, inevitable though it may have been, has an unhappy influence upon quality of work. No one could read the evidence given a few months ago in respect of a certain provincial pro- duct without wondering what the workers thought of it. The statements were that certain continental manu- facturers produced a superior article, and details which were given seemed to indicate that in respect of both business methods and design and manufacture England had something to learn. It may be said at once that there is probably something to be said on the other side, but one would like to know whether the workers have something to say. Apparently the wages question is not at issue. Is not quality of product the obverse side of the wages question ? Certainly, if there are any principles
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