Five day week?

Series

Series Name: Mining Review 1st Year

Issue

Issue No.

Date Released

Sep 1947

Length of issue (in feet)

796

Stories in this Issue:

Story

Story No. within this Issue

2 / 3

Summary

BFI synopsis: Miners discuss the possibilities of a five day week for miners in a pub.
COI Commentary - 1st man: A Five Day week. Can we afford it?
2nd man: Well, I am all in favour of a five-day week. We shall benefit from it physically by having a long weekend rest - what they lose in production, eventually we shall recover it: also, it will cut the absenteeism out. In fact, in nineteen thirty four, as I am looking through the log books, I find that in six months, there’s only twelve absentees. The one look in nineteen forty six, on a six months page, there’s at least twenty percent of the absentees.
I’ll tell you this before I go, we can fill not more than we are filling now.
3rd man: Well, Arthur, what George can’t do, I can’t do. When I get home, it’s bed before dinner. I am too tired to eat it.
4th man: Well, Abbott, speaking as an individual, after five years of prisoner of war, I find that some of you chaps look no better than what I do. After six years out of the pits - just returned, after doing seven years engineering, I find that three days knocks me up.
Take my brother who has returned with me, after six years in the forces - he has to have a few Saturdays off to keep up to it.
5th man: Well, chaps, cant up - this in on me.
6th man: With a five day week, we will be entitled to Saturdays off and we’ll work all the harder for knowing we’ve got it.
7th man: Well, I’m all for the five-day week, but we shall still have absenteeism, and as a deputy, what do you think about it?
8th man: Well, I’m all for it, Arthur, but I definitely know this - to ensure five full production days, we still need an extra day, regarding repairs to the haulage system and straightening the face line, and we shall need volunteers to do this.
We shall get the volunteers alright, Mac, because they’ll get the double pay for the extra day, same as they get on Sundays now.
9th man: I don’t think so Harold. Production is bound to drop.
10th man: Granted, the five day week must come to the pits, because they’ve already got it in other industries. The only way to make up for the loss of that coal is to install modern machinery and not only at the coal face, but on the haulage way.
11th man: I have been listening to what your chaps have been talking about. You ought to have had a five day week some time ago and the same rate of pay.
12th man: Well, none of us will stand for dictation - that’s certain.
13th man: Well, here’s to the five days a week chaps.
All: Here, here!

Keywords

Mining; Labour relations

Written sources

The National Archives INF 6 /386
British Film Institute Databases Used for synopsis
Viewing Copy - bfi screenonline
Hogenkamp, A. P., unpublished DPhil thesis pxi.
BFI Screenonline synopsis ID No.1223196

Credits:

Production Co.: Crown Film Unit
Camera: Fred Gamage
Director: Graham Wallace
Cutter: Jocelyn Jackson
Cutter: John Legard
Producer: John Taylor
Sound: K. Scrivener
Camera: Kenneth Reeves
Commentator: Maurice Denham
Sponsor: Ministry of Fuel and Power
Camera: William Chaston

This series is held by:

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