Clocking On
A common practice amongst engineering firms was for workers to be paid according to the work they produced, a system known as "piece work." Below is a copy of a booklet produced by local crane maker Joseph Booth explaning the introduction of the piece work system to its workforce. As can be seen, the system introduces a great deal of bureaucracy but helps to keep up productivity.
PIECE WORK RULES
1. The method of operating the scheme will be
as follows:-
A time allowance will be given for each job either
in the form of a certain number of hours or, for
small articles, a number off per hour. Certain jobs
may be grouped together and time allowance made
for the group. The time taken to complete the job
will be paid for at the piece-worker's rates; in
addition the value of the amount of time saved will
be calculated out at the worker's base rate, this
amount will be paid as piece work bonus for
the job.
2. No operator will be put on to piece work
until he or she has proved that he or she is efficient
and capable of carrying out the work accurately.
3. In certain cases where it is not possible for an
operator to work on direct piece work he will be
paid a lieu rate in the form of reflective bonus on
the average earnings of the piece workers in his
department. Reflective bonus is to be limited to
the permanent staff of workmen in the production
department concerned whose earnings cannot be
based on a straight piece work system but whose
output is controlled by the output of piece workers
in the shop which they are serving. this wil also
apply to the Tool Room operators whose reflective
bonus will follow the earnings of the Machine
Shop.
4. The basis for fixing the time allowance the
piece work shall be that a workman of average
abiiity shall be able to earn at least 27 1\2 % piece work balance on his or her base rate. All
discussions on the appropriateness or otherwise of piece allowances will be made in relation to this basis.
5. In the event of it not being possible to come to an agreement on the time allowance for a job the operator agrees to undertake the work at time work rates.
6. Rates once fixed and agreed upon will not
be changed except for the following reasons:-
(a) A mistake in the calculations on either. side.
(b) The material, means, or method of production,
or the quantities are changed.
(c) A mutual arrangement has been come to
between the employer and the worker in the same
way as a new time is arranged.
Note.-In effect paragraph (b) means that-
The managernent reserve the right to re-time an
operation and re-fix the time allowance in the event
of a change in the design, material, the method of
carrying out the work. a change in the tooling or, in the case of machine work, a change in the
speed and feed or in the event of the work being
transferred to a different department or machine
or where conditions are changed. These conditions
are not intended to prevent a workman from
obtaining higher earnings due to time savings made
by his own initiative.
7. In general, different time allowances will be
made for man, woman and boy labour if on the
same work.
8. Bonus will not be paid on time saved in
producing faulty work. Faulty work must be
rectified (where possible) by the operator concemed
at plain time rates. No additionai time
allowance will be made for scrap due to a workman's
error, but an additional time allowance will
be made for rectifications which are due to faulty
material, modifications or other causes outside the
reasonable control of the operator.
9. Before any piece work is started a job card
must be obtained authorising work to commence
and on production of this card at the ratefixing
office the starting time must be stamped on the
piece ticket and the job card.
On completion of a job the time finished must
be clock-stamped on the piece ticket and the job
card, and the ticket handed in to the rate fixing
office. The job card may be retained by the
workman.
No bonus will be paid for tickets which have the
times entered thereon in an unorthodox manner.
In the event of the time booked on piece
tickets not corresponding to the time booked on
the daily clock cards the management reserve the
right to make an adjustment. When necessary the
workman will be consulted so that his explanation
for the discrepancy can be obtained.
10. Operators on piece work must clock on
tickets the whole of their
working hours even
though part of this time may be payable at time
rate.
Deductions in time for all meal periods will be
made, except in cases where a written note from
the foreman is handed in to the effect that an
operator has been working through a meal-time.
11. Whether on piece or day work workmen
must work the full shift, i.e., from the recognised
starting to the finishing time.
12. Machines and tools must be kept clean,
lubricated and properly cared for. The time taken
for cleaning down etc., will be allowed for when
fixing time allowances.
The amount aliowed to be 10 minutes per day
machine men and 5 minutes per day other men.
13. No allowance for standing time will be
made, except with the written consent of the Works
Manager or Shop Foreman, and in the event of a
breakdown or stoppage of a job for any cause
whatever workmen must be prepared to take up
other work when instructed to do so.
14. The management reserve the right to stop
work on a job when necessary. In this event the
job will either be considered closed and an allowance
made in relation to the proportion of work
done, a new time allowance being arranged for the
completion of the job when work is resumed
thereon or, alternatively, the job will be held in
suspense for completion later. When an operator
has lost time due to the stoppage under the
alternative arrangement an additional time allowance
will be made to compensate the loss, always
provided the stoppage has not been caused by
neglect or bad work of the workman.
15. In making up pay each week's wage will
include the bonuses earned on all jobs completed
in that week. In the case of an unfinished job
being carried over from one week to another the
bonus will be carried over and paid in the week
in which the job is finished. (In the case of large
jobs extending over a period of two weeks or more
a portion of any bonus due will be paid on account
at the workman's request).
16. In the case of more than one worker being
concerned the amount of bonus earned will be
shared in proportion to the number of hours which
each worker has had on the job and pro rata to
their respective base rates. This rule applies also
to the case of operators on shifts where the time to complete a job extends from one shift to
another.
17. In the case of a group of men being on the
same job each man must have his name entered on
the piece ticket as an assistant, the assistants must
each have cards but they need only be filled in
insofar as job number, rates and times of clocking
on and off are concerned. The person who is
handed the master card will be responsible for
seeing that the correct clocking is made on the
assistants' cards.
18. From time to time there will be making-up
days on which date all piece tickets representing
work in progress will be withdrawn, the number of
hours worked credited to each operator and new
tickets will be issued showing the balance of time
available for the completion of the work.
Final Note.
The above piece work rules have been drawn up
and agreed to by a committee consisting of Management and Workpeople's Representatives. It is
appreciated that with the experience gained in
running the scheme it may be necessary to add to,
modify or amend these rules and the rules will be
subject to review from time to time by this committee
with a view to the piece work being run on
a basis which is mutually satisfactory to ail parties
concerned.
For Clyde, Crane & Booth Ltd.
(Joseph Booth & Bros.)
JOHN BAKER, Managing Director.
Acknowledgements
This article was produced by Kris Ward. With thanks for Michael Woodhouse for providing original Joseph Booth material and Wellman Booth, successors to that company.