THE MODERN BANK CLERK
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.]
4111,-1 notice in the Financial Supplement to your issue of
March 1st, "Veteran " writes under the heading of "The Modern Bank Clerk," and if I may say so his nom-de-plume is appropriate, particularly in regard to his advocacy of the Company Union as an instrument of collective bargaining and his statement that women clerks constitute a different problem.
The Bank Officers' Guild, the national organization em-
bracing membership from the whole industry, was formed before his Internal Association came to life, and prior to the Guild collective bargaining had not been offered to the staffs of the banking indfistry. The very existence of the Guild caused improvement as compared with " Veteran's " "bad old days." May I trespass on your space to give a correct statement on just a few of the headings quoted ? Security of Tenure.-There, unfortunately, have been a few dismissals through the depression, although not by the big banks.
llolidays.-Very few under the rank of Manager are entitled to a month's leave, and many obtain a summer holiday in March, April, or October.
Now there is one serious omission from " Veteran's " article and that is the various cuts which have taken place in an industry well able to maintain the standard of life of its employees and expected of them. Whilst nearly all other walks of life have seen restoration, in whole or part, of the economy cuts, the banking industry lags behind in this matter, one bank (Lloyds) having very recently imposed further cuts. This is the result of " internalism " and the staffs are realizing it and coming_ into the Bank Officers' Guild in increasing numbers. Internalism pre-supposes that the conditions in the various banks have no bearing on those in any one par- ticular bank.
Negotiators in Company Unions are "ever employees" and in two of the Big Six Banks membership of the Company Union is compulsory and is not the form of representation desired by the staff nor really beneficial to the industry.- Yours faithfully, T. G. EDWARDS,
Bank Officers' Guild, General Secretary (Policy). 28 Old Queen Street, Westminster, S.W. 1.
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