§ 24. Sir K. WOODasked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he can state the number of skilled men at the Woolwich Arsenal to whom he proposes to offer semi-skilled or unskilled work and the nature of such work; and whether he has communicated his suggestion to any trades union or workers' organisation concerned in such matters?
§ Mr. LAWSONAs regards the first part of the question, I am not in a position to state the particulars asked for, since I am glad to be able to say that so far it has been found possible to absorb upon skilled work, in other departments of the, factories, all the skilled men who have recently become redundant in the carriage 1100 department. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative. No novelty in procedure is involved, and in offering to men who would otherwise have to be discharged such alternative work as might be available, I should be doing the best I could for them.
§ Sir K. WOODDoes the hon. Gentleman still propose to continue his policy of offering unskilled work to skilled men?
§ Mr. LAWSONThis is a long-standing policy in the War Office procedure, and it is also a common practice in other industries.
§ Mr. W. THORNEIf men have got to go, why should not the killed men go as well as the unskilled?