§ Captain De Chairasked the Minister of Labour (1) whether he is aware that employees of military age working for contractors on aerodrome construction are being paid up to £9 a week by these contractors while others, not released from military duty, are serving overseas at service rates of pay, many having been killed or captured by the Japanese; and whether he will at once take steps to equalise civilian wages and military rates of pay in Great Britain generally;
(2) whether he is aware of the indignation in the country that the evil of high wages to civilians working in comfort in 2002W reserved industries while men in the services work all hours in all dangers at lower rates, condemned in the last war, is being repeated in this; and whether His Majesty's Government will use their powers to put an end to these abuses?
§ Mr. McCorquodaleInquiries made by the Department in July, 1941 showed that the average weekly earnings in manufacturing industries generally and in some of the principal non-manufacturing industries were 99s. 3d. for men. This figure included overtime and bonuses and took no account of deductions made in respect of contributions for State insurance, costs of travelling and other necessary expenses. The remuneration of members of the Armed Forces is necessarily based on quite different considerations from that of civil employment, and comparisons between the rates of pay of particular ranks and the earnings of civilian workers, and between their conditions of service, are misleading. The Government policy for the regulation of wages in industry in war time was stated in the White Paper on Price Stabilisation and Industrial Policy and that policy has been generally successful. If my hon. and gallant Friend is aware of abuses, perhaps he will let me have particulars. I would add that special action has already been taken by the organisations concerned in regard to the wages of younger workers in the building industry.