The People's Health
1943-10 1943 1940s 36 pages Transferred workers is another problem. I would very much like to speak for hours on some of these things. They are in the main, simple things once you begin talking and thinking about them. It will not be long before you begin to see things that ought to be done to make...
| Institution: | MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick |
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| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
Newcastle-on-Tyne : North-East District Committee, Communist Party
1943
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10796/718FE604-DC71-47D5-88A2-FD67A215B94E http://hdl.handle.net/10796/240331AF-E529-435E-8FAF-2DBC9F1DFF3C |
| Summary: | 1943-10
1943
1940s
36 pages
Transferred workers is another problem. I would very much like to speak for hours on some of these things. They are in the main, simple things once you begin talking and thinking about them. It will not be long before you begin to see things that ought to be done to make improvements. FACTORY ACTS. On the broader field still of working class organisation there must be an extension of knowledge of the Factory Act and the legislation and regulations which have been made for the protection of the health of the workers. But there must also be an extension of the Factory Act itself and similar legislation. For example, the Factory Act, which is not at all a bad one, does not cover railway workers unless they are working in large shops. Offices too, are not covered by the Act and there are many of them with very unsatisfactory conditions so far as the health of the people who work in them are concerned. I advise everyone who wants to know something about the Factory Act and all the advantages it can give to workers where fully applied, to get a copy of the Labour Research Department pamphlet "The Health of the Worker." It is a mine of information on the Factory Act and on other matters affecting workers' health. I remember the first conference of this kind which was held in London. A shop steward from the big Napiers' factory got up and made a first class speech. He was anxious to get on with production. One thing he was convinced about was the need to study the Factory Act if he was serious about increasing the output of the factory. What is the Factory Act? It is something our fathers fought and died for in many cases. Most of its clauses represent long years of working-class struggle. Yet many workers in factories do not know the first thing about it. His Majesty's Stationery Office has recently issued a Guide to the Factory Act. It is a useful publication and workers should get hold of a copy and study it. Furthermore, make use of the Factory Inspectors. If you go round as I do, saying there are not half enough of them, then make certain that those you have are made full use of. In my experience, and I have said hard things about them at meetings I have addressed, they are a conscientious body of people who do seriously investigate every complaint that is made to them — even anonymous complaints. Of course, they are understaffed and half their staff are only temporary people, but on the whole they deserve our support and our co-operation. Now to conclude let me say this. Remember that health is always important and always will be. It is the cardinal pillar of what we socialists think of when we ask for a good life. When we ask for equal opportunities, for planning on the basis of distribution according to needs, always, before long, we have to consider health. It is a pre-war issue ; it is a post-war issue and very emphatically it is a present day issue for the defeat of fascism. 11
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| Physical Description: | TEXT |