The Shorter Working Week - In what circumstances is it
profitable or possible to reduce weekly hours of work in industry, and so increase the number of workers ? That is the question which the Minister of Labour is attempting to explore through the National Confederation of Employers' Organizations and the General Council of the Trades Union Congress. It has been shown that it can be done without reduction of wages or profits in a wholly sheltered industry such as that of Messrs. Boots. In some cases; Where competition is domestic only, hours could be Shortened without - reduction of wages if there were agreement between the producers. In face of foreign competition the position is clearly much more difficult; and in this case Mr. Stanley is anxious to discove' whether workers would be prepared to earn less if the number of employees was increased. On these questiond both employers and trade-unionists hold strong views which will not make Mr. Stanley's task easy. - No universally binding decision is expected. The Minister Will be content to proceed now with--this industry; now with that. ,Every trade which will make an experiment in this direction will be helping to solve a major problem of our time—and may, incidentally, find it profitable.
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