The Building Workers Bonus (Housing)

Some time ago the building workers in their trade union, the A.U.B.T.W., made a wage claim of 9d. per hour for unskilled workers and 6d. per hour for skilled workers. Their representatives duly met the employers’ federation who refused to pay this increase, but agreed to a bonus scheme known as payments by results. The Labour Party element in the union opposed this, saying, we want the 9d. and 6d. increases but we must also have increased production. On the other hand, the Communist Party element in the union were unconditionally in favour of the bonus scheme and swayed the majority in their respective branches to support it.

Since it first became operative, until now, the employers have been smiling to themselves, with contracts finishing months ahead of expiring dates. Due to the bonus scheme, their profits have jumped. The building worker who has been getting a few shillings bonus extra in his pay packet will, very soon, have worked himself right out of a job, and instead of getting a few shillings extra he will be trying to live on a few shillings, in other words, the dole.

Yes, a number of workers “houses” have been built, sorry, I should have said stacked. One can see them around London put up as quickly as possible under the bonus scheme, in uniform barrack-like blocks of buildings, without gardens for children to play in, and all the restrictions that the local councils enforce upon the tenants. The Labour Government claims credit for building these “houses” and so solving the housing problem, but under this present system of capitalism every government in office, whether Labour, Tory or Liberal, etc., would have been forced to make a “bit of a show” by building these loathsome blocks of working class flats which are potential slums, to fob off the workers from having real houses.

Houses or blocks of flats like everything else that is produced under capitalism, will not be produced unless there is a profit to be made directly or indirectly by those who own the means of production, the capitalist class.

Only when all workers who wish for a better life get to understand the world in which they live through understanding Socialism will they abolish capitalism and establish a sane system of society, when really comfortable houses will be built with plenty of fresh clean air and sunlight, in pleasant surroundings; not as it is now with a privileged few living in luxurious flats and houses which the workers build for them for eight or nine hours a day, and then go “home” to their miserable dwellings.

Yes, fellow worker, read more about Socialism through the Socialist Party of Great Britain so that we all can get together to rid ourselves of this rotten system, capitalism, and establish Socialism.
R.H.