|
available, and largely thanks to the works health committee four out
of every five took advantage of it; some early cases of tuberculosis
and other abnormalities were discovered. During 1948 the ambulance
rooms, which are manned throughout normal working hours including
night shifts, dealt with no less than 216,000 attendances at all the
Company's works. More than half of the cases were surgical and a quarter
medical, the bulk of the remainder requiring eye treatment and 10
per cent skin treatment; only 12 per cent of the skin cases were of
occupational origin. In the short-wave clinic nearly 20,000 treatments
were carried out by three physiotherapists, and the eye service dealt
with over 1000 cases.
 Canteens
have grown much more popular during the last ten years: the number
using them has risen from 17 to 52 per cent of the staff and from
10 to 18 per cent of the workpeople. The eight canteens in the Trafford
Park area serve something like 5500 main meals, 2200 subsidiary
meals and 11,500 beverages in a day. Tea is served in the departments
to about 1700 workgirls at half-past eight and to 2500 staff employees
at three o'clock. The waitress service, which was abandoned due
to labour difficulties during the war, has been reinstated in the
staff canteens and introduced for the workgirls.
The
staff committee was reconstituted in November 1942. The delegates
are now elected by groups of staff and not by departments, and they
themselves elect twelve members, who with two representatives of
the management form a 'staff council'. At the present time there
are ninety-two delegates representing 6600 members of the staff.
In the winter of 1945-46 the staff council introduced the first
of an annual series of educational talks by heads of departments
on the departmental activities, and in 1948 it arranged with the
Company for visits to the works by the staff, their wives and families—a
very successful innovation. The council's most important function
however is to settle day-to-day complaints, which in a large company
are otherwise difficult to deal with satisfactorily.
Existing
provision for retired employees received a valuable addition in
1947, when at Sir George Bailey's suggestion the Company instituted
a 'retiring grants fund' to supersede the special grants account
of the long service association. From this fund, which is non-contributory,
varying allowances are paid to clock employees on the basis of age
and length of loyal service.
The
association itself attained its silver jubilee in 1948, when A.
Walmsley who was the first chairman of the committee was succeeded
by H. Annis. A sub-centre has now been formed at the Sheffield works.
Some 2000 long service members are still at work: they may be said
to represent the hard core of the Company and, with their former
colleagues, to have made a unique contribution to its history.
A Joy
Keith trust fund to help women employees was formed in 1940 with
money left by a former employment supervisor. One of the three trustees
is a representative of the women workers, and cases for assistance
are recommended by the women's employment department and the members
of the women's works committee.
|
