JNF-The-Working-Class-Struggle-of-Half-a-Century

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which should be paid for the various kinds of labour employed on such work during 1944. The Board was soon after appointed. A retired Judge of the Supreme Court (Sir James Rae) was chairman. Two representatives of the Association constituted the other members of the board. The Union supported its case before the Board during days of deliberations, and went further by drawing up and presenting a minimum suitable scale of living expenses for an average labourer including rent and other necessities for one week. The Association argued that they were not in a position to pay the rates of wages requested by the Union. The Board ultimately recommended an increase of three cents in the shilling on the basic rates of wages paid in 1943. On 10 th February 1944 the Governor with the advice of the Executive Council made the St. Kitts Minimum Wage (Harvesting of Sugar Cane) Order, 1944, to give effect to the recommendations of the advisory committee. This Order fixed the minimum rate of wages for cane cutters (per ton) at 33 cents, brake boys 4 cent, truck drivers 8 cent, packers 22 cents and so on. The Order commenced on the 16 th February and expired on 31 st December 1944. Shop Assistants When minimum wages for shop assistants and domestic servants were recently fixed by the Government, the background story different. In 1944 the field workers were united in their thought and action and spoke out with one voice through the Union, but twenty years later, store and grocery clerks as well as other similar employees were still slow in organising themselves. They claimed that they were finding it difficult to cope with the cost of living. The wages of some were five dollars per week. Those who lived outside Basseterre had to pay bus fares daily to travel to and from their jobs. Yet they made no speed to unionise. This might be attributed partly to a hang-over of the social code of past generations when persons working in towns and private homes in the country were given a “higher status” than those toiling in the fields. . 167
Nevertheless, what remained of the “superiority complex” on the part of workers who were not employed in the fields received a shattering blow in the nineteen forties. As a result of the initiative taken by the Union, some women employed on estates were earning more than the average store and grocery clerk. In the late nineteen fifties women who were hired in weeding gangs of high estates in St. Kitts were getting six dollars and ten cents per week of five days, while in Basseterre some clerks were getting five dollars per week of six days. As economic pressure increased and shop assistants became more keenly aware of the weakness of their position, they began to find their way into what was then the “Allied Workers Section” of the Union. Here their difficulties were aired and discussed. To start the ball rolling, a special call was sounded to clerical workers to unionise. That was the first step. The second step was the job of the Union. The case concerning wages for shop assistants was accordingly tackled. The matter was taken up with the authorities. In 1963 the Minister appointed a committee to advise on the level of wages upon which minimum wages legislation covering shop assistants may be based. The committee consisted of the Labour Commissioner as Chairman, one member representing the St. Kitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union, one representing other merchants, one representing the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, with an official from the Department of Labour as secretary. After obtaining information, the committee submitted its report, in which it recommended a minimum scale of wages for the workers concerned. To give effect to the recommendations, the Labour (Minimum Wage) (Shop Assistants) Order, 1965 was made and came into effect on 1 st August of that year. The minimum wages were fixed as follows: (a) Cashiers $15 per week, (b) Counter Clerks $12 per week (c) Store boys/Messengers $7.50 per week (d) Probationary Clerks 75 % of the minimum weekly wage of Counter Clerk for the first four months in the case of persons without previous experience. Four years later another wage order was made relating to the employment of domestic servants. House Servants and Hotel Staff 168
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J. N. FRANCE ______________________
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© 2015 Published by The National A
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Preface The Working Class struggle
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1 EARLY VISION Where is this countr
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With the passing of time, social an
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This early attempt at workers' orga
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post as a school teacher to succeed
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For several years the pressure was
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and school houses are being used fo
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housing condition arising from the
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3 PREPARING THE GROUND The thought
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That impressive English story told
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they had accumulated £28 with whic
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Commons that since the colony of th
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1922, some of the members of Legisl
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On 30 th August 1932 the Dominica T
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country and I regard British Guiana
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Mr. Marryshow then raised his tone
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Delegates to the West India Confere
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The conference opened its proceedin
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protests can be ignored with impuni
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Closer Union Commission widened to
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He said it was a privilege to him t
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possible, an education that must be
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and suffering, and in such a condit
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The land forming the Hospital compo
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ing able to grant the request of th
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prison sentences for what was commo
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sinned against the Factory. Theirs
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9 FROM PAUPER RELIEF TO PROVIDENT B
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1954 declared the first Monday in M
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it has proposed to interfere will b
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Change When the League came on the
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Children of the working class. 61
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had just dumped out a load of cane
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There was no reply from London. Twe
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president. When the delegation gave
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Under the law of 1937 only a limite
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Workers who would have benefited fr
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Grenada, and will seek to work in a
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Ferguson, Chairman of the Commissio
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Now let me say in the first place t
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We should like to refer to West Ind
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in West Indies there is a considera
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The 1932 Commissioners commented on
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not regard it as essential that the
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official news of its adoption by th
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gravity of the situation to the att
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On 13 th December, 1934 an unusuall
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employed by those who demand the ad
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concerning the right for the workin
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come relief to a grateful people an
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vance towards the goal of the Feder
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members of the Council. Mr. Marrysh
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see no reason why we should be give
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Unofficial Majority on the Legislat
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tional reform movement in this Pres
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combine to give the Closer Union Sc
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prominent part in marking the close
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when the slaves were set free, and
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The people in those days took it fo
Page 126 and 127: Sugar Factory workers were “chast
Page 128 and 129: At West Farm the marchers were prev
Page 130 and 131: Some of the men, it was alleged, we
Page 132 and 133: gear was damaged and the employees
Page 134 and 135: Inspector of Police and Magistrate
Page 136 and 137: H.M.S. Leander arrived in the port
Page 138 and 139: satisfied that the action taken by
Page 140 and 141: 16 THE FIRST ELECTION The clash of
Page 142 and 143: opposed to it. The 1936 Constitutio
Page 144 and 145: important matter, I promise the Ele
Page 146 and 147: could have no better representative
Page 148 and 149: whether it was a fact that the St.
Page 150 and 151: existing, it is not considered that
Page 152 and 153: 17 THE 1938 ROYAL COMMISSION The 19
Page 154 and 155: A: Any law-abiding citizen over 16
Page 156 and 157: appeared and presented the case of
Page 158 and 159: 18 A STAKE IN THE COUNTRY Land owne
Page 160 and 161: culture and Commercial Society. The
Page 162 and 163: After this, the land would vest abs
Page 164 and 165: age. In the following month, Januar
Page 166 and 167: 19 MARCUS GARVEY IN ST. KITTS St. K
Page 168 and 169: When he made man he said, ‘By the
Page 170 and 171: oil underneath his feet. Englishmen
Page 172 and 173: is a little four-page newspaper. Yo
Page 174 and 175: provided the major portion of the e
Page 178 and 179: In April 1969 the Minister of Labou
Page 180 and 181: 21 POWER OF THE PRESS During first
Page 182 and 183: Commission headed by Sir Charles Fe
Page 184 and 185: President wrote, The issues are too
Page 186 and 187: the sea. The effects were terrible
Page 188 and 189: mendous crowd packed the Mutual Imp
Page 190 and 191: territory, the success of the past
Page 192 and 193: the notice, was that employees were
Page 194 and 195: 185
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JNF-The-Working-Class-Struggle-of-Half-a-Century

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