HC Deb 04 May 1948 vol 450 cc1222-32

10.0 p.m.

Mr. Swingler (Stafford)

I wish to raise one or two questions in regard to manpower trends. This subject was generally discussed in the House on 18th March and there were passing references to it in the Debate on the Economic Survey. I will deal with a number of more general points which were not adequately dealt within those Debates and will put specific questions to my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour about the present situation and what has happened in the first quarter of this year. I entirely agree with the statement on manpower made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget Speech on 6th April that, in dealing with the manpower situation, we are not juggling with figures and playing with chessmen, but that: We are dealing primarily with production by human beings and they cannot, and must not, be dealt with as though they were pieces of machinery. Later on he said: We have to plan within the restrictions imposed by human habit. …"—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 6th April, 1948, Vol. 449; c. 45.] although I think that in the process we may have to change some of those habits.

I believe that people have been, or are liable to be, misled by a statement in the Economic Survey for 1948, which has frequently been quoted out of its context. That statement was that, Labour is not at present, and is unlikely to be in 1948, the limiting factor in economic activity as a whole. It is not borne in mind, and it is not so often quoted, that just after that statement the Economic Survey says that, the labour forces proposed for coal, agriculture and textiles are targets in the full sense … The attainment of these manpower targets is among the first necessities in 1948. It is to that subject that I want to direct the attention of the House tonight.

The Minister of Labour and his Parliamentary Secretary know well enough that the redeployment of labour in 1948 is a key question and is becoming harder rather than easier as time goes on. The reasons are, first, that we have passed the full flush of demobilisation from the armed forces and that people are getting settled down into their jobs. Secondly, this year we have fewer school leavers than in the past, owing partly to the low birth-rate of 15 years ago and partly to the courageous and necessary decision to raise the school-leaving age. Thirdly, the total of the working population is shrinking and will go on shrinking for a long time owing to the generally low birth-rate in the past half century up to quite recent times.

Before dealing with the immediate situation I would like to give hon. Members some background facts. A year ago in the "Ministry of Labour Gazette" there was an analysis of the general manpower trends in the population of this island in the five-year period between 1946 and 1951. We are now in the middle of that period. That analysis showed that in that five year period there would be a decline of nearly a quarter of a million men of working age between the ages of 15 and 40, and that there would be a decline of some 355,000 women between the age of 15 to 40. It must be borne in mind that today nearly three-quarters of the women working in industry are under 40 years of age, and, therefore, in that age group.

Taking into consideration the raising of the school age we find that in 1951—three years hence—we shall have a situation where there will be a net increase in the working population during this five year period of 65,000 men, but that increase is entirely in the age group above 40 years of age; and a net decrease of more than 530,000 women. The writer of this article came to this conclusion: It seems clear there will have to be, in this period of five years, considerable substitution of men for women in a number of industries. That is a point which is not often borne in mind today.

The same situation is found in regard to juveniles. In 1938, in the age groups of 15 to 24 years, there were some 7,400,000 boys and girls. Today, there are three-quarters of a million less, and, over the period of the next 20 years, there is likely to be a drop of another million in that important section of the population. All these facts strongly accentuate the need for the redeployment of labour, particularly among juvenile workers, and they emphasise the very vital importance of reducing the number of non-producers of all types. On looking at the Economic Survey and its analysis of what happened in 1947 as a result of the various policies pursued by the Government in regard to redeployment, we find that while there was a considerable achievement in some respects, particularly in reversing the trend in the coalmining industry and in getting a net increase of 28,000 workers over the year, we did not substantially succeed in securing the drastic redeployment of labour which had been forecast in February, 1947.

We got, as I have said, 28,000 more mineworkers, but that was 12,000 fewer than desired. We got 9,000 more workers for agriculture and the fishing industry, but that was 30,000 fewer than forecast, and we got 60,000 more textile operatives, which was 9,000 fewer than the forecast. In regard to agriculture, the agricultural returns for December last year actually showed a net decrease of 58,000 in comparison with December, 1946. On the other hand, the figures demonstrate how the distributive trades and consumer services attracted an increase of over 120,000 more workers than had been forecast, and, instead of having a reduction in the numbers engaged in public adminis- tration, we find an increase, very largely due to substantial additions to local government staffs.

So we are faced with a more serious situation in regard to redeployment of labour for the year 1948. In the same way as targets and objectives were set in the Economic Survey for 1947, so the Government have set manpower targets for 1948 in the latest Economic Survey, and they are of the same order as they were 12 months ago. This year the Government aim at getting a net recruitment in the coalmining industry of 32,000, bringing the manpower on the books up to 750,000. They want 55,000 more people in agriculture and 58,000 more in the cotton trade. The Economic Survey again shows in one of its tables the aspiration and expectation of a reduction in the distributive trades and in the bureaucracy of national and local government, particularly in the latter, and a considerable reduction of 164,000 for building and civil engineering.

I want to know from the Parliamentary Secretary what measures are being taken to see that during 1948 the same thing does not happen that happened during 1947. In the Economic Survey, certain aims, objectives and aspirations were set out, but when we got the balance sheet in 1948 we found that the trends had gone on in just the same way and that we had not achieved the objectives.

Viscount Hinchingbrooke (Dorset, Southern)

Would the hon. Member make clear exactly what he is complaining of? Is it that the facts do not fit the White Paper or that the White Paper does not fit the facts?

Mr. Swingler

I am trying to point out—I am not exactly complaining—that in the Economic Survey for 1947, as the noble Lord will find if he reads the document, the Government forecast a certain desirable redeployment of labour, in order to achieve the objective of getting more people into productive employment. In fact, when the balance sheet was drawn up in the Economic Survey for 1948, it was found that substantially the objectives had not been achieved; that in the productive trades such as agriculture, textiles and so on, the numbers of people recruited fell short of the desired numbers, and in the non-pro- ductive trades, such as distribution and public administration, the numbers. increased.

In the Economic Survey for 1948 certain targets are proposed. More people are required in the productive trades and there are to be reductions in the number of people in the non-productive trades. I want to know from the Parliamentary Secretary what special measures are being taken in 1948—I am coming to the point which is of more immediate interest to the noble Lord—to see that we do not get the same sort of balance sheet next year, in February, 1949, as we have received in respect of 1947. We already have some signs of the times to show what is happening in 1948, in the first quarter of the year. Extracts were given in the papers last Friday from the report of the National Union of Mineworkers showing what has happened in the coal industry in the first quarter of 1948. There it was shown that the wastage of labour in the coal industry is running higher than has been estimated, while recruitment is running a good deal lower, particularly in attracting youngsters into the industry.

The aim, in order to achieve the manpower target by the end of the year, is to recruit about 500 juvenile workers every week into the industry. I think 480 is the correct figure. Instead of that, the average in the first three months of this year has been 159. In the same way recruitment of adult workers is disappointing. Weekly recruits have been needed of nearly 2,000, but the actual recruitment in the first quarter of the year has been only 1,700. The intake of European volutary workers, brought to this country, has been smaller than has been expected, according to that report. There is now the danger from what has happened in the first quarter of this year that the numbers will fall short by about 13,000 workers in the coal industry alone.

I want to put a particular question to the Parliamentary Secretary about agriculture. The position is not at all clear. In a recent Parliamentary answer the hon. Member said that the average net monthly increase in agriculture in 1947 was about 750 workers. In January and February of this year it had been running at about 2,500. That shows very considerable improvement. I am not sure whether that 2,500 is a net or gross figure. In any case, even if it was a net increase in agriculture in January and February it is still not enough to achieve the aim which the Government have set in the expansionist policy of the Ministry of Agriculture. Even taking into account what the Parliamentary Secretary said recently about European voluntary workers for agriculture there is still not enough even though we are refusing to take some of the German volunteers.

I wish to put a point to the Parliamentary Secretary in regard to the employment of European volunteer workers and German volunteers from among prisoners of war. How many of these are actually in agricultural employment now? How many prisoners of war are there still to be repatriated to Germany, and how many of these have volunteered to stay in agricultural employment? What steps is the Ministry taking in order to achieve the recruitment into agriculture which represents about six times the level of the recruitment during 1947?

I realise that the Ministry of Labour has a big job to tackle in reversing long-term trends that have operated in this country under the capitalist system. In this country we have had a smaller proportion of people employed on the land than in any other country in the world, and a higher proportion of people engaged in public administration and the distributive trades than in any other country in the world. In the pursuit of full employment and in the operation of controls to fill jobs and the provision of incentives in industry the Ministry of Labour has a big job to tackle. In the pursuit of those policies we still have not got sufficient incentives in the undermanned industries to get the response needed. Therefore, I believe that we still face a serious situation in 1948 in regard to the re-deployment of labour and I hope that the Parliamentary Secretary will have something to say about the measures which his Ministry is to undertake in order to tackle it.

10.18 p.m.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour (Mr. Ness Edwards)

I am afraid that I shall not have time to deal with all the points which were raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford (Mr. Swingler), but I will try to give a coherent story of how we are dealing with the problem. In the first place, I was glad to hear my hon. Friend make reference to the outstanding article in the May issue of the "Ministry of Labour Gazette" which puts before the country not an alarming, but a very serious position. It can be summarised in this way: Compared with 1946 we shall, in 1951, have an increase of 485,000 men between the ages of 40 and 64, and a decline of 225,000 men between the ages of 15 and 39. On the female side the position is much worse. We shall have a decline of 230,000 in the age group 15 to 24 and a decline of 125,000 in the age group 25 to 39. The important point to note is that in 1951 we shall have 530,000 fewer women in our working population than we had in 1946 and we shall have an increase of 65,000 males, very largely in the older age groups.

So that, roughly speaking, we shall be half a million workers short in 1951, compared with the position in 1946. I hope that industry will bear that in mind; especially those industries which very largely depend upon female labour. It is of extreme importance for the textile industry and the light engineering industry. It will have to be a shift from the complete employment of women to the employment of men doing the jobs which previously have been done by women. I hope that industry will face that position. It is the penalty for the insecurity and comparative poverty which did exist between the two wars when the birth rate declined very seriously and now we have to meet the position that arises out of those conditions—

Lieut.-Commander Gurney Braithwaite (Holderness)

Under Tory misrule, I suppose.

Mr. Ness Edwards

Let us deal with the facts. These facts are much too serious to make political propaganda out of them. Let us deal with the reduction in employment since 1939 and let no politics enter into it. In coal mining at the end of last year we were 15,000 short of the figure we had in 1939. In textiles 146,000, clothing 174,000, in the distributive trades—and I hope my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford will note this—we were 536,000 short, that is, 536,000 fewer employed in the distributive trades at the end of last year than in 1939.

Among the industries that increased their manpower at the end of 1947, as compared with 1939 were the following: Agriculture had 145,000 more workers, transport 205,000; in metals and engineering, we had the stupendous increase of 609,000, and that may partly explain our shortage of steel. In chemicals there were 70,000, and in durable consumer goods 104,000, in the Civil Service 284,000, other national Government service 164,000, local government service 259,000, in building and civil engineering 54,000 and in entertainment and sport 45,000.

That is the situation that we have to face. I think it is obvious to everyone that the industries that are undermanned, compared with their position in 1939, are those industries which suffered the hazards of the depression and the slumps and booms prior to the war, the industries with bad histories, in which there was little security, much unemployment and in which the rewards for work, whether for employers or for employed were extremely bad. We have to try now and pull these industries up and destroy the history attached to them in order to persuade people to go back into these jobs.

My hon. Friend made the point that in dealing with the problems of manpower we are not dealing with inanimate things, but with human beings. We have to remember that this is a democracy and we must proceed on the basis of persuasion and influence and the basis of attraction. I think it can be said that the Ministry of Labour have paid due regard to what has been said in this House and the undertakings given that there would be no harsh application of the powers of direction under the orders given by the House.

Coming to the points with which we have to deal we have, as has been said, to increase the mining industry by 32,000 this year. The January increase was 2,500, the February increase was 2,000 and the March increase was 700. I agree that that rate of increase is not sufficient to meet our target, but what has to be remembered is that there are 11,000 European volunteer workers in this country who are now in training and who have not yet gone into employment. It would be dangerous to send them into the pits without an adequate knowledge of English, dangerous to themselves and to their fellow workers.

Second, we must give them some training in mining methods. Under regulations passed by this House, they must be given mining experience before they are sent down the pits. The figures quoted by Mr. Jim Bowman, who has been tremendously helpful in this matter, did not include the 11,000 who are already here, Neither did they include the volunteers from Germany and Austria who are willing to come here. One of our difficulties is that of getting accommodation for these people. They have to go to work in areas where already there is a tremendous shortage of houses. They have to work in areas with dense populations. One of our great problems is that of providing accommodation in order to pass these workers as quickly as we can through the centres. In the mining industry, I am satisfied that 537the end of this year if we do not reach our target we will be within striking distance of it.

In the cotton industry we need to increase the numbers by 58,000. We are running at the rate of 2,500 a month increase. It must be remembered when we have regard to these recruitment figures that we must make up for wastage. The wastage in the mining industry amounts to 2,000 a week. From that figure one can well imagine the size of the problem which confronts us. The parable of Sisyphus always comes to my mind when I look at the graphs which show how many workers we have put in and how great the wastage has been in the same period. That is true also of cotton and the heavy basic industry. In the wool and worsted industry we have to find about 22,000 workers this year. In January there was an increase of 1,300. In February the increase was 1,200.

In agriculture 20,000 prisoners of war have been civilianised. That has helped substantially. As an indication of the rate of recruitment, we had a net increase of 5,000 for the month of February. I think that the month of March will provide even better figures. In that connection, the recruitment of European voluntary workers is going very well. As the House knows, we have authority to recruit Volksdeutche. There are plenty in the British zone of Germany and we are getting them as quickly as we can. Those figures are given in reply to some of the points which have been raised.

I should like to say how we approach this problem. First, we must convince the workers already in the undermanned industries that they will get a square deal. Second, we must endeavour to improve the amenities and welfare conditions inside the mills and factories. Third, we must try to give them a sense of security. We must try to give them the feelings that this is an industry which is not only likely to make a big contribution at present, but will, for years to come, offer them the chance of earning a decent livelihood. The next thing is to try to interest them in the production target of the unit it which they are engaged. The stimulation of a policy of joint production committees is highly necessary throughout industry in this country. Perhaps it is even more necessary in the basic undermanned industries. We are endeavouring by the use of the Control of Engagement Order, to influence workers to go into the undermanned industries.

In the eight weeks ending 17th March, threequarters of a million people were placed in jobs by the Ministry of Labour. Of every four additional workers in the manufacturing side of the country's activities, three persons took the first-preference jobs in the undermanned industries. That shows the way in which we are getting from the workers of this country a response to the needs of the time. Other points concern the voluntary transfer of workers, the encouragement of part-time workers, the recruitment of housewives for housewives shifts, and the attraction of married women back into the cotton industry.

The Question having been proposed after Ten o'Clock and the Debate having continued for half an hour, Mr. SPEAKER adjourned the House without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order.

Adjourned at Half-past Ten o'Clock.