From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Summer visit to German automobile factories, detailing working conditions, hours, and wages.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 142\3\ scan0246 | |
| Date | 24th June 1937 | |
| 1204 Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} R.H.C. E/L1d/HP. 24th June 1937. I.A.E. Summer Visit to Germany - 5.6.37. With the agreement of Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} I was able to participate in the Summer Visit of the Institution of Automobile Engineers to Germany. During the visit we made some lightning tours round several factories, and these are described briefly herewith. It was not expected that we should be shown anything out of the ordinary but the visit was useful in that it enabled an idea to be obtained of the general conditions existing in the Automobile factories in Germany. The working week is 48 hours, starting at 7 a.m. with a break of 3/4 hour for lunch, and finishing at 4.15 p.m. No overtime is worked anywhere, except in some of the tool rooms, and this is due to a general shortage of tool room hands. Two or three eight hour shifts are employed in the factories with high continuous output. The wages are comparable with our own; for a 48 hour week the unskilled man receives the equivalent of £2, and the skilled operator £3.10.0. There are no trade unions, and strikes are unknown. The worker appears to be very well looked after, and with the exception of the Opel factory does not appear to work very hard. In the Bosch factory the worker is expected to turn out a number of parts per day, the actual number being fixed by the organisation, and he receives a bonus on the number of parts he can produce in excess of the fixed rate. If it is found that a man cannot work to the fixed rate he is transferred to another job more in keeping with his abilities. | ||