Women in the Printing Trades: A Sociological Study.
General
Women in the Printing Trades: A Sociological Study.
Printing industry -- Great Britain; Women -- Employment -- Great Britain; Women printers -- Great Britain; Working class women -- Great Britain
By the rules of the Machine Rulers' and Bookbinders' Consolidated Union
women may only bind paper pamphlets. They are not allowed to bind
regular books. They may book-stitch with thread or wire, glue, fold,
bronze, and gild.
PAPER-BAG MAKING.
_Business No. 1._
_Conditions._--Cap bag-making is all piecework, except for beginners,
who start at 4_s._ In fifteen months, manager says they should be able
to earn 10_s._ per week by piecework.
_Average Wage._--13_s._ to 15_s._ Manager considered that in heavy cap
bag-making 19_s._ was top wage ever taken by an extra good hand in extra
busy time.
Eighteen girls were employed in cap bag-making.
A rougher class of girls were employed in the sugar bag department,
which is heavier work. The wages were higher for this heavier work. The
average wage approached 15_s._
The bag-stringing machine was the only machinery employed in this
business. It was worked by a foreman and forewoman. No married women
were employed. The clerks were all women, taking 20_s._ per week. The
manager preferred them to men because they were content with that wage
as a maximum.
_Outwork_ given to old workers under known conditions, as since the bags
are for the grocery trade it is important to know home conditions. Same
price as for inworkers, but outworkers found their own paste and
brushes, etc.
_Hours._--8 a.m. to 7 p.m., 1 hour dinner, 20 minutes tea. Saturday, 8
a.m. to 1 p.m.
_Remarks._--The contrast between this business and the business next
door (see following case) was very striking as regards relation between
manager and employees.
_Business No. 2._
Girls are employed here in bag-making and table processes. The employer
considered that the girls could average 9_s._ to 10_s._ He gave the
highest wage for machine laying-on, which begins at 7_s._ and goes up to
12_s._ and 13_s._ This wage was given because of the danger of the
process (I think the machine was the "Arab," which in union houses women
may not work "because of the danger"). Manager believed a good many of
his hands were married women. He did not care whether they were married
or not. The forewoman and the girl in the warehouse were each taking
11_s._
_Homework._--Given out in busy times to whoever applied, without further
precautions. Manager thought no outworker took more than 4_s._ to 5_s._
per week.
_Hours._--8 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.
Fifty-two and a half hours per week regular time. Just now (December)
they were working ten hours per day.
August slackest month. Manager generally turned off hands then. Manager
spoke of difficulty of getting workers--he could not get boys to feed
the machines, for example, because it led to nothing.
Manager said he "conducted his business on purely business principles"
and got his work done as cheaply as he could.
MACHINE FEEDING.
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