A threat to bakery workers

Friday, August 7, 1970 ALONG with their demand for yet another round of production of loaves, cakes and biscuits. tually a condition in many bakeries'. labour apart from the van driver's had been eliminated from the loading operation.

TOMATIC ICE-RISES increases in the price of bread, the major baking companies are seeking to install a new system for continuous and automatic price rises.

They say that instead of having to wait until increased costs justify a penny increase, price rises should rest on maintaining a guaranteed rate of profit of 14 per cent and should be automatic.

This can only mean that they intend to make bigger increases and to make them more often than at present.

Policy

This policy is explained— and approved—in the Prices In Britain, continued concentration and closure of the small firms has led to four large bakeries dominating the trade, controlling between trade, 70 per cent of the market.

it 1529353611 -By S E. Lemberg Camtridge thivertity, Press: 70s and Incomes Board Report on prices and pay in the baking industry, published last week.

As usual, the PIB also arrives at its standard conclusion that all manner of schemes for the intensification of work are needed to cut labour costs.

Up to the beginning of this century, all bread and confectionary was made by hand, mainly in small family bakeries.

The rapid spread of mechanical handling methods originating in the USA into many aspects of baking led to the development of the huge "plant' bakeries and the massproduction workers in the Intensive Overtime was found to be increasing, reflecting the more intensive working in fewer bakeries.

Over recent years even more advanced automated flow-line production methods have been developed to cover all mixing, baking, cutting and wrapping processes.

The PIB's current report on shcond. inge inist, issusa he • is the April 1970, allowed a penny increase demanded by the This PIB survey found long hours and low wages a standard pattern for the 65,000 The average basic wage for men is around f14 10s for a 40-hour week, with a £27 total for 54 hours. The 25,000 women in the industry work little overtime and receive on an average £ll 6s 5d for 40 The report also notes that the bakeries are the second largest users of vehicle transport in the country, employing 28,000 distribution workers.

The average hours worked by men in plant bakeries in England and Wales has risen from 51.5 in 1965 to 54.5 at present. The number of men who work 60 hours a week or more has also risen from 10 per cent in 1965 to 25 per cent in March 1970.

The report observes that working on rest days is 'viTabsenteeism standing at between 7 and 10 per cent.

The Board explains that a further 93,300 workers in the industry—office workers, maintenance staff, etc.—are not covered by this Report.

The turnover of workers at plant bakeries was found to be at a phenomenally high rate of 80 percent, with There is considerable scope for improvements of this kind.' TIME STUDY • work measurement the industry is patchy a there is scope for much wil and more systematic use of EXTENSION OF SHIFT WORKING In Scotland the relaxing the restrictive arrangemer applying to shift-work be made the subject negotiation.' is concern, nowever, 1s no 1 welfare and the need ic proper working hours, but to cut the wage bill.

The PIB's only criticism of the automatic price-rise system is of the recommendation that this should be based on a 14 per cent return on capital. It comments that 'a somewhat lower figure might be appropriate.

For the bakery workers Board recommends:

METHOD STUDY 'We found that at one bakery a new system of palletization had enabled the time taken to load a van to be reduced from 20 to five minutes; and at another all Firms sharing the market British Bakeries Allied Bakeries United Bakeries CWS Bakeries Lyons Bread •..

PAGE The PIB also wants a cut in overtime hours brought about.

With the special appointment of businessmen government positions and preparations for anti-union legislation, the Tories are making it abundantly clear to all employers that the time is ripe to unleash a savage drive for profits.

Price increases are to be encouraged and the use of productivity' working systems stepped up.

The only possible line of retaliation for bakery workers is the demand for nationalization of the major companies under workers' control.