Improvement in the conditions of labour in Shanghai are made compulsory by these regulations, which are drawn up under four headings: those dealing with retirement pensions of old labourers; those dealing with the treatment of employees while at work; the duty of em. ployees; and apprentices." Many of these improvements. shoul be wel comed, as for instance, those concern. ing the employment of children and. women, Some of the regulations, are the same as those advocated by! foreign investigators some years ago} which were not made compulsory in foreign mills on account of their not being applied in native mills. The opposition to the recommendations of these foreism investigators being ie operative came from the Chinese chiefly, and if the new regula. tions nullify this opposition they should aseist very greatly in the Letterment of admittedly poor condi tions.
Examples of such regulations are Children under 12 years of gel under the age of 16 must be light work only, Employers shoul give female] workers six weeks leave with pay' at time of childbirth, overs should provide for the hourers their petty ex-apprentices and child And also several provisions for medical treatment and expenses for workers injured in the execution of their duty, Presuming that the humanity of] observe rules without] being enforced by. body, then the regulations are needed, Key n of child labour ix to be! found in every country in the world, Jos in his business for over three young the said grawaity maybe reduced, can 'Sinployer temporuily saspond business after having occured the Hermirsion of. the Burt of Sorta Aiffeire, the period for' such "toss ation work must two month, After the Exvlration of this period, the. suspen oe treated as it the employee I stopped his business, During. th, Period of suspension, at Toast one-thind the monthly {o the employees, No diantssil of employees ts allowed when the em Dleyor resumes his busines, With "the exception of those canon
Should "secure \permision" beforehont cannot "hel foreseen, removers from: the''Durcan of Social tore stopping belt should notify cit empl {Mert one, month before int Check on Workers Turning to' the treatment of employees, we find that each one, must be inven an agreement out-Jining the nature of the work for which he is engaged, his hours, the term of his engagement, and his rate of wages. When there is a choice between a union member and a nonunion member the regulations say that preference must be given to the union member, and on the expiration of the agreement, should the employer not desire to renew it, a report on the ease must be made to the Social Bureau, The workers may' demand com= pensation for the employers for violation of the agreement, malicious accusation, and ill-treatment. And jin addition the employer may not dismiss the worker (thereby. viol ating the agreement) except under the following conditions:—(a) For causing bodily harm to fellow workers without ensue;. (b), For stealing property of the factory, ete; (c) For suffering from venereal diseases; (4) For opium smoking: (e) For gambling during workings hours; (£) For being unable to une dertake work for three month (those who sustain injuries while in the execution of duties are not Me cluded); (g) For receiving nine demerits or three rave demerits within the period of a year, Two Classen of Demerits What are demerits and grave dee merits? The regulations define them as follows:—
'A demerit be given employees for committing ome of the following offences three times: (a) Making fun or sleeping while at their work; (b) Laziness and neglect of duty} (c) Damaging property to the value of less than 50 cents.
And for the following offences;—(a) Drinking while working; (b) Absenting from work for a days (e) Late attendance and leaving work before ti A grave demerit may be given for the following offences: (a) Disobeying the orders of the officer in charge; (b) Assaulting fellow workers without cause; (¢) Causing disturbances under the influence of Aiquor (i). Usinge material belonging the factory, ete, for private purposes, (o) Absentine themselves, from work for three days without first applying for leave of absence (1) Love making between male and female workers resulting in neglect of duty; (¢) Damaging property of the factory, ete, to the value of from 30 eons to ing the reputation factory, ete.
Bureau to Control Policy The Obvious Overlooked But there are other regulations for which no justification can communist which the state found by dant except the: by controls all The following are culled from the rules with retirement gratuities, which provide for payments to shop assistants at the age of G0 and labourers at the age of 30, on vadlations of the facto lop concerned and. evidence. has een secured. to warrant his dimssal gratuity will be vive provided such ations of the factory er shop have rst been approved by the Burcat 0f employer curtaile business of changes. his business. policy efter Kee cen the anrarat of" Hurcaw of Socie! ABaire ho misty when chars lovees, ive thin, one wont its motive "and. pay the gratiyty necordunco with the terms off Article (eating with retiring age and. the scale), but if the employer has suffered will he seen from the above employees are allowed the jest_possible scope in offences before they can be dismissed. Fomenting trouble among the men, urging them to strike, and other common enough offences for which men are dismissed, are not made causes on which the employer can act, Dismissal on such provocation is immediately made a violation the agreement and the employee la, entitled to demand compensation.
One would think: that the employer would be allowed a certain amount of latitude in ensuring discipline in his factory or shop. Bue ne, regulations are drawn up 49) deal with that side of his manage ment. Employers must be allowed ta deal with their employees for the (a) For neglect of duty resulting.
ferior workmanship and loss rheic employers the pay of the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.