By Tom Mann
IN order to live we must eat. To live well we must have enough to eat and to wear. The food we eat and the clothes we wear can only be obtained by labor. Industry is carried on in order to bring into existence the requisites of life, but if for any reason a sufficiency is not produced or, being produced it is not reasonably distributed, it may happen, and it commonly does happen, that many are insufficiently fed and clothed, and inadequately housed.
Time was when man was unable to work effectively to bring into existence a sufficiency for all to have enough. Owing to the growth of knowledge in modern civilized life we possess the power to produce enough for all, not for some portions of the year, but for the whole year round and for every year.
It is not a matter of conjecture, it is a thoroughly established fact, that there is on and in the earth a super-abundance of raw material, out of which all our requirements can be obtained, and it is equally an established fact, that man’s power over this material is such, that if this power is wisely directed, an abundance for all can be produced with the utmost ease.
Although these basic facts are admitted, we are confronted with abject poverty in every country, not less so amongst the most industrially advanced, as well as in those relatively backward.
Europe of course is experiencing exceptional economic difficulties at present, as a result of the Great War, but prior to the war there never was a time when the whole of the people in any country had a sufficiency; in England, concurrently with an ever increasing wealth producing capacity, there has continued as an ever accompanying corollary, a percentage of unemployed workers, who in consequence of unemployment are wageless and therefore subjected to serious privation.
It would seem that notwithstanding the ever increasing power to bring into existence the necessaries and comforts of life, that those who accept responsibility for managing industry never aim at concerted action either to ascertain total amounts required, or at providing a sufficiency for all.
It is left to the chance forces of competitive struggles between numerous sections of controllers of industrial establishments, financiers and others, to conduct trading operations in the interests of the respective sections of financiers, speculators, industrialists, etc., and these sectional interests never by any chance coincide with the interests of the community.
At the present time, middle of December, in Britain there are two millions of totally unemployed workers, and as large a number of only partially employed. The unemployed with their dependents number about six millions of persons, out of a population of fifty millions.
The Unemployment Insurance Act provides benefits as follows: weekly benefit payable; men, fifteen shillings; women, twelve shillings; boys under 18, seven shillings and sixpence; girls under 18, six shillings. A married man receives in addition, five shillings on account of his wife, and one shilling each for each of four children. To entitle the workers to this, workers and employers pay the following weekly amounts:
Men ……….. 7 pence. Employers. 8 pence
Women ……… 6 pence. Employers. 7 pence
Boys under 18 .. 3½ pence. Employers. 4 pence
Girls under 18 . 3 pence. Employers. 3½ pence
In addition those unions that provide unemployment benefits also pay usually from five to fifteen shillings a week, this of course in addition to the State benefit.
It is a matter for wonderment that the principal trade unions, which have endeavored to guard their members against the worst evils of unemployment, sickness and accident, should not have long ago endeavored to entirely eliminate the causes of unemployment.
Innumerable discussions have taken place as to the best means of alleviating the effects of unemployment, whilst the cure of the causes thereof have been comparatively neglected. The modern conception of trade unionism does, however, undertake this task. It holds that it is not sufficient to organize the workers, except as the preliminary essential to the organization of the work.
The objective of the up-to-date trade unionist is—The organization of work in all its forms so as to provide adequately for the requirements of the whole community. To do this it is necessary that the machinery of organization itself, i.e., the unions, must cease to be sectional, and learn to manifest solidarity, and aim at producing with the highest efficiency, and distributing the product with the truest equity.
Exactly how this will work out there is no need to worry over, but it may safely be assumed that the most scientific methods of production will always be resorted to, as this will fit with highest standard of living, including the fewest working hours consistent with that standard.
I have never known such a large percentage of unemployed in England and especially in the Engineering Industry as we have at present. The Union of which I am a member, The Amalgamated Engineering Union, has a membership of 429,500. The returns for November, just to hand, show that the number of unemployed is 92,272 or 25.85%. There is almost as many working short time, and in addition there are 6,842 on sick benefit, and 6,571 on superannuation benefit.
One contributary cause of this slump in industry was the outcome of the War settlement, which provided that Britain should have a large percentage of the German ships. These were taken over and sold to British shipowners at a much lower rate than they could be built for; the direct result was to throw many thousands of men out of work in the ship-building yards and the marine engine shops.
Similarly, with regard to the coal miners. War settlement terms provided that Germany should supply France with many millions of tons of coal annually. The providing of this coal had hitherto been done by British colliers. Result:—unemployment amongst miners in Britain on an unprecedented scale.
I am pleased to say there are some signs of improvement, though as yet not very pronounced. The tin plate trade of South Wales is reviving. This of course means the steel plates, tinned, for canned goods, etc., and past experiences show that this trade is usually first affected.
The prospect of a settlement of the Irish problem is also having a good effect, and there is no doubt if it proves to be a settlement of the troubles between the British Government and the Irish, that a substantial quickening of industrial interests will follow—and probably solidarity will characterize the workers of both countries.
It is too early to gauge the probable effects of the Washington Conference, but there are many in this country who believe that the result will be the allaying of international friction for a time, and that there will probably be a few years’ spell of industrial activity. It seems to me likely that this will be so, and this will be the time for the workers to perfect their organizations and to become clear as regards ideals.
There is no need for despondency. Humanity is slow in traveling upward, but there is no doubt at all about it really traveling. The organized workers must have a greater share in social control than hitherto.
CLOSE UP YOUR RANKS!
The employing class is solidly organized. The workers must likewise close up their ranks. The time has come when we must fuse our craft unions so that there is only one union for each industry. We must do this or be crushed.
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