Rural Road Wages – Conisboro’ Labour Protest

April 1920

Mexborough and Swinton Times, April 11th, 1920

Rural Road Wages.
A Conisboro´ Labour Protest

At a meeting of the Conisboro´ and Denaby Labour Party, on Sunday evening, Mr T Hill, presiding, strong criticism was directed against the Doncaster Rural District Council for their attitude to recent proposal to increase the road men´s wages.

Mr Hill mentioned that the three Labour men on the Council and all the rest of the Council, with the exception of Mr W.Appleyard, were against them on this question.

The Labour men proposed that an increase of 7s 6d (37 ½ p) a week be given to the Roadmen, but in the Council meeting, after gaining their point in committee, they were reversed by the “farmer opposition,”and were told that the “Labour men would give anybody´s money away, but their own.” The matter would come up again on Saturday at the Council meeting. If it came to a strike of road men, he would support them with all his power. He added that some members of the Highways Committee took a shameful attitude on the question, suggesting that some of the road men were only fit for the workhouse, and that it was charity topay them anything at all.

Mr S.C.Urch said he was particularly disgusted with one member of the committee. It was not at all unreasonable that the Roman should have a 47 hour week and an increase of 7s 6d. The council raised the salary of the Clerk to £450. He did not at all object to that, but it was inconsistent to grudge these few shillings a week to the workmen, and it was the sort of thing that created unrest. The Rural Councils highway wages range from 35 shillings to 43 shillings and the County Councils minimum was 50 shillings. Of 12 districts taken for comparative purposes, the Doncaster Rural Districts were the lowest wages but one.

 

Mr W.L.Worsley, another member of the Doncaster Rural District Council, supported the resolution of protest which it was decided to send to the Council

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