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APPENDIX
Clydeside Dockers
For internal circulation only

The following report is based upon one received from the Regional Intelligence Officer in Scotland, who has an intimate knowledge of conditions on Clydeside.

The dock labour decasualisation scheme has been in operation on the Clyde since the Spring of 1941. In view of the known aversion of the dockers to the scheme at the beginning, and in view of recent doubts voiced in the Press concerning the working of the scheme in other areas, enquiries were made by the Intelligence Officer to find out the Clydeside dockers' present views on the scheme.

Discussions with dockers at the time when it was mooted showed that they were infuriated by the idea. One very sensible docker then remarked that at least 95% of the men were “dead against it”. “It'll never work”, they said, in a tone that suggested “We'll damn well see it doesn't”. Opposition to the scheme was violent and intense. The two chief objections to it - which from the dockers' point of view seemed sound - were:-

When the scheme was launched all and sundry began pointing out reasons why it would have to be suspended. The scheme “held up the work” and was “full of defects”. The payment of income tax disgusted and shocked many of them, and their scandalised tones suggested that the idea was grossly immoral.

This, then, is the background against which their present attitude should be judged, for an astonishing transformation has since occurred. This does not mean that all the dockers are 100% enthusiastic; it does mean, however, that the previous hostility has vanished. Many openly support the scheme and hope it will be continued after the war. Criticisms are now made against what are believed to be faults in the administration of the scheme rather than in the scheme itself.

The dockers' chief complaint at the moment concerns the arbitrary loss of “duck eggs”. It is part of the agreement that if a dockor presents himself for work and there happens to be none, he nevertheless gets his “duck egg”; i.e. his book is stamped, entitling him to 7/6d. for that half-day shift whether he works or not. (This part of the scheme is specially liked. They often wave their books in the face of non-dockers saying “you don't get these in your work”.) The dockers claim however, that it “frequently happens” that some men receive no wages because of the way this part of the scheme is administered. A man may present himself for work on Thursday (the beginning of their week), Friday, Saturday and Monday; if there is no work he gets his “duck eggs” - seven of them. On Tuesday he again presents himself and again there is no work. It is then announced that twenty men are required at another dock. There may be from 100 to 500 men present. Each looks at the other waiting for someone else to volunteer, not that they have any objection to going but they are “a bit backward at coming forward”. The result is that for the moment there are no volunteers. The Director then announces that “no books will be stamped that day”, which also means the cancelling of all previous “duck eggs” for that week. This in turn means that the docker receives no wages whatsoever for his week.

There are other snags, too. For example, a man may refuse to go to another dock, with the result that he loses any “duck eggs” to which he was entitled; or it may happen that the Director announces that since mobile dockers are engaged that day, no badgemen will get “duck eggs”. (Badgemen are bona fide members of the Glasgow Dockers' Union). Where this happens - and the men claim it frequently occurs - they are naturally indignant. The [Text Missing] definitely dislike the power thus exercised by the Director. It is held that it leaves itself open to abuse which they are now powerless to deal with. As one of them said - “often that has happened and we have got it rectified through goodwill and necessity; but both the goodwill and the necessity may not always be there”.

Attitude of docker to docker

The relation of the dockers to each other depends on Trade Union status. Here it is advisable to say a little on the rather curious Trade Union situation. A long time before the war the Dockers' Union restricted membership. By doing this they virtually established a monopoly for themselves. So strong were they that it cost £50 to join the Union and entry even then was very difficult. Pressure, apparently by the stevedores, (who are contractors for the loading and unloading of vessels) forced then to open the doors slightly. They did this by nominating their own sons, relatives or friends. The non-Unionists (“snappers”) who out-number the Unionists, are eager to join the Union but cannot do so. To complicate the situation, there are now mobile dockers from other Regions who are generally Trade Union members, and there is naturally some friction between these three sets of men.

One bad feature about this arrangement, especially from the non-Unionists' point of view, is that the badgeman gets preferential treatment - he must be given work before either the snapper or the mobile docker. In the past this practice was very badly abused. For example, badgemen might unload a cargo of iron ore with the aid of machinery and then go on to other jpbs, leaving the snappers to shovel out what could not be got by mechanical means; or if badgemen picked work which did not turn out as they expected, they could then take over what the snappers were doing and force them to do the bad job. This caused a great deal of bitterness among the men and it is one of the merits of the new scheme that while the badgeman still gets preferential employment, he is no longer allowed to pick his work or drop it at will.

Some trouble may start here, for if the snappers try to form themselves into an opposition union, in view of their numbers they may make things awkward for the badgemen. It is certain that such a project has been considered by some of them.

The badgemen are rather proud of their exclusiveness and most of the snappers envy them. One justification put up for the preferential treatment given to the badgemen was that “they are nearly all old men and would have a pretty thin time if they had to rough it with the snappers”. Curiously enough this was said by a snapper. On the other hand, another snapper remarked that “the Government aren't getting value for their money. They are paying a lot of old men who are almost incapable of heavy work. Naturally they take much longer to handle a cargo than would be the case if everyone was allowed to work it”. But others say that the older dockers have reduced the problem of unloading and loading to a fine art and can beat anyone in the world.

Attitude to Englishmen

Many contend that there are too many Englishmen at the top. “Why is it that all the heid yins are English?”

It is also said of the English dockers that “they are not nearly as good as the home men, except in special circumstances”. They are believed to have been trained as specialists, which precludes them from being good all-round men. They may for example be good at unloading beef but “hopeless” at anything else.

Another criticism of the Englishman is that he doesn't pay income tax - not because he is not liable to do so, but because it is difficult to assess dockers who are travelling all over the country.

Attitude to income tax

This was really a very nettling business to the docker - and still is - though he has become somewhat accustomed to it. One of our contacts reports that “many of them dodge overtime or refuse to work it because of income tax. They still think that half of what they make will be deducted in tax. I tried to explain that this was not so but only a few agreed with me. To one follow I said: ‘You claim you pay half your wages in taxation. You also say you get £5 per week. I take it, then, that you receive only £2.10s. every week?’ Of course he got more and, knowing this, accused me of trying to put a fast one over on him. Some of the men saw the point, though my assertions didn't seem to please them. But it began to dawn on them that they had been robbing themselves and some of them started to calculate the difference between what they had actually earned and what they might have earned if they had understood income tax deductions better. Propaganda would be of some use here.”

Attitude to stevedores

Some dockers claim that the stevedores are trying to sabotage the new scheme because they have been to a large extent cut out. They claim that the stevedores have told them to take their time on a job if there is any difficulty. Some of the badgemen have been thinking recently that they ought to do their own stevedoring. Most, however, believe that this proposal is not likely to come to anything as the stevedores are very powerful financially.

Attitude of dockers' wives to the scheme

Before the scheme came into operation the dockers' wives shared their husbands' opposition to it. Nowadays they too have changed their views. The regular pay an Friday night is “a Godsend”. They welcome the cessation of the former system of ‘subbing’ or of daily payment for casual work, whereby many of their husbands were wont to booze every night - “As they got it so they spent it”. Many of them - to quote one docker's wife - “now have a regular binge on Friday and Saturday only. They spend a lot then but at least we have had our share on Friday”.

Attitude of dockers to their work

Docking is considered by many of them as “just work - an unpleasant means of earning a living.” Those holding this view are not among the least intelligent. On the other hand - and this seems especially true of the rougher elements, many of whom are Irish - they seen to take an almost truculent pride in their work and their individual achievements. This is shown by their talk and behaviour in pubs where they brag a great deal about their own prowess.

There is undoubtedly a certain amount of thieving, but this, of course, depends on the nature of cargo. In general, the dockers are pretty broadminded on the subject of stealing in docks, but they despise and are enraged by those who thieve at the expense of the troops. For example they were highly indignant with one man who opened up a crate of chocolate destined for troops in the Middle East and they spoke with scorn about another who stole some razor blades from another cargo for the Forces.

Summary

From the above it would appear that -

1. The dockers have changed from hostility to acceptance of the scheme.

2. Many of them would like to see it continue after the war; so, too, would their wives.

3. A serious complaint at the moment is the wiping off of their accumulated “duck eggs” for what seem to be inadequate reasons.

4. Misconceptions regarding income tax are still deep-seated and are causing reluctance to work overtime.