HC Deb 14 August 1916 vol 85 cc1434-5W
Mr. H. TERRELL

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will state what was the average amount earned per week by bricklayers' assistants in the London district, the Glasgow district, and the Manchester district, respectively, during the past month; and (2) if he will state the rate of wages paid during the past month to bricklayers' assistants in the London district, the Glasgow district, and the Manchester district, respectively; how many hours per day and per week was the normal number of hours worked by them; what was the rate of wages paid for overtime; were a large number of such bricklayers' assistants youths under twenty years of age; and will he say whether a bricklayers' assistant who does temporarily the work of a bricklayer gets any and, if so, what increased rate of wages?

Mr. HARCOURT

The Board of Trade do not obtain monthly information as to the average earnings of bricklayers' assistants. So far as the information is available, the ordinary hourly rates of wages, the overtime rates, and the number of hours constituting a full ordinary day or week in summer (exclusive of mealtimes and overtime) appear to be those given in the accompanying table for the districts referred to. No information is available as to the numbers of such men who are under twenty years of age at the present time, or as to the rates of pay of assistants who may be temporarily employed as bricklayers.

WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOUR OF BRICKLAYERS' ASSISTANTS (LABOURERS).
Town. Hourly Rate of Wages. Hours of Labour in Summer (exclusive of Meal Times). Overtime Rates of Pay.
Per Day. Per Week.
London … 9d. 9 hours for 5 days a week and 5 hours on Saturday 50 From leaving off until 8 p.m.—Time and a quarter;
From 8 p.m. till 10 p.m.—Time and a half;
After 10 p.m.—Double time.
Glasgow … 7½d. 9 hours for 5 days a week and 5 hours on Saturday 50 Time and a half after 6 p.m.
Manchester … 8d.* 9 hours for 5 days a week and 4½ hours for Saturday 49½ —
* This is the rate for Hod-carriers; for General Builders' Labourers the rate is 7½d.