Women Workers (Hansard, 14 June 1965)

HC Deb 14 June 1965 vol 714 cc22-4 22

§ 24. Mr. Hamling
asked the Minister of Labour how many women workers, and in which industries, are affected by orders permitting nightwork or shiftwork outside hours normally permitted by the Factories Act, 1961.

§ Mr. Thornton
As the reply consists of a table of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

§ Mr. Hamling
Would not my hon. Friend agree that it is most desirable that orders of this sort should be made as little as possible?

§ Mr. Thornton
About 34,000 women are affected by these orders. One-third of them are in the textile industries and about one-fifth in the food, drink and tobacco industries. We have, however, to face the fact that if we are to modernise, keep up-to-date and introduce the new machinery, the incidence of shift working is bound to increase. In so far as it can be minimised for women, that would be all to the good.

§ Following is the information: 23

NUMBER* OF WOMEN COVERED BY SPECIAL EXEMPTION ORDERS PERMITTING NIGHTWORK, OR SHIFTWORK OUTSIDE THE HOURS NORMALLY PERMITTED BY THE FACTORIES ACT 1961 ISSUED UNDER SECTION 117 OF THE ACT AND CURRENT ON 31ST MAY, 1965
Industry	Food, drink and tobacco	Chemical and allied industries	Metal manufacture	Engineering and electrical goods	Metal goods not elsewhere specified	Hosiery and knitted goods	Cotton, linen and lace	Wool and worsted	Other textiles	Clothing, footwear, leather goods and fur	Bricks, pottery, glass and cement	Timber, furniture, etc.	Paper, printing and publishing	Other manufacturing industries and miscellaneous services	Total
Night shifts only	328	—	—	20	6	—	186	—	—	—	—	—	34	2	576
Shiftwork including nightshifts	198	31	506	370	209	—	80	—	—	9	1,895	—	24	885	4,207
Other shift systems	6,495	2,762	49	2,640	1,175	241	7,050	178	3,422	14	596	160	1,697	3,054	29,533
Total	7,021	2,793	555	3,030	1,390	241	7,316	178	3,422	23	2,491	160	1,755	3,941	34,316
* The numbers shown are those specified in the employers' applications; the numbers actually employed on the schemes of hours permitted by the orders may vary from time to time.
In addition, my rt. hon. Friend has power under section 97 of the Factories Act 1961 to authorise, subject to certain conditions, the employment of women on shifts outside the hours normally permitted by the Act. On 31st May, 1965, 1,495 such authorisations were in force covering all the main broad industry groups. No statistics are available as to the number of women involved.