Working conditions and labour relations in Southampton's port industries between the wars

Ewer, Rosemarin Frances (1988) Working conditions and labour relations in Southampton's port industries between the wars. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Abstract

The port industries under consideration are shipping, dock and harbour services, and shipbuilding and repairing. In Southampton the most important of these was shipping, and in particular the transatlantic passenger trade. The transference from Liverpool to Southampton of the major portion of this trade created considerable interest in the great liners, and overshadowed the contribution made by those who manned the ships and provided the back-up services in port. Less attention has since been given to the related industries of cargo-handling and ship-repairing, which, in Southampton, were dependent upon and influenced by the passenger trade. This thesis aims to redress the deficiencies in the literature and show that, whilst the concentration of passenger shipping provided certain benefits, it also inhibited development in other ways. Because the pattern of employment was largely determined by the regular schedules of transatlantic shipping, it was different from ports where employment was determined by the flow of cargo vessels. Consequently, in Southampton labour problems such as casualism and under-employment were emphasised, even where unemployment was less severe. This was true of all three trade groups. The framework of employment and labour relations is described because it is essential to an understanding of the labour situation and the problems which were inherent in port industries between the wars, and the effect on them of the economic climate of those years. In order to assess the position of Southampton, five comparative major ports, covering passenger and freight shipping, are examined in relation to the effects of cyclical and seasonal fluctuations. The extent to which ports with a strong passenger influence differed from those where the influence was absent is also considered. The themes traced are employment levels and conditions, wages and earnings, trade disputes and the interaction of workers, employers and trade unions. The conclusions drawn are, broadly, that the passenger and South African freight trades made their own significant contributions to the Port of Southampton, but that insufficient advantage was taken of the opportunities they offered to improve employment conditions. The port contributed to the national economy, and more should have been achieved for port labour, both locally, where it was possible to negotiate individually, and for the national good, where collective agreements were concerned.

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