Editorial: Slimmer shop assistants

Before the war, when the Labour Party was in opposition, socialists were saying that a Labour Government would have to behave very much like any other government trying to make Capitalism work. Members of the Labour Party did not believe this, and said so. They told us that the idea was absurd and a wicked slander on the Labour Party. They simply could not imagine that a government of their own admired leaders would one day declare itself against wage increases, knowingly create unemployment, introduce peace-time conscription and use troops in strikes. But now all these things have happened.

On July 28th of this year, Mr. Harold Wilson, President of the Board of Trade, announced that the prices that shops are permitted to charge for utility clothes, boots, sheets, curtains, etc., would be reduced by 5 per cent. It doubtless pleased the majority of workers and displeased the shopkeepers, but in the uproar that it caused among the latter, one of its consequences received little attention. Mr. Wilson explained that it was expected to lead to “smaller staffs,” and added:—

“If the effect of this measure is some slight reduction of staff in distribution, I think it will be useful. (“Hansard,” 28/7/49, Col. 2694.)

The same day, in an interview with the Press, he used a different phrase which the Daily Herald (29/7/49) reported as: —

“This reduction in prices may lead to some slimming of staffs.”

We may guess why he did not want to call it creating unemployment, but elderly shop assistants pushed out of work may not see the point of Mr. Wilson’s remark that the loss of their jobs is useful.

We are not accusing Mr. Wilson of wanting to create unemployment for its own sake, and no doubt he dismisses any twinge of conscience with the thought that these unemployed can get some sort of work in some other trade. What we are doing, however, is to remind Labour Party supporters that this is one of the things that goes with the attempt to run capitalism and they are just as much responsible as Mr. Wilson.

At the same time that the President of the Board of Trade is cutting prices and “slimming” the shop assistants his colleague, the Minister of Labour, has refused to ratify Wages Council decisions in favour of increased wages for shop assistants.

Increases of about 5 per cent. had been recommended by Wages Councils for the distributive trades and sent to the Minister for ratification. Instead, according to reports in the Press (Daily Mail, 8th and 23rd July and Daily Worker, 23rd July) he has sent them back and asked that the proposed increases be modified before he will again consider them.