Are All Shop Stewards Communists? I Mission Church In Hiroshima

"C.H."' ENQUIRY SHOWS MANY ARE
By a Staff Reporter " l don't know how many Catholics take an interest in the Shop Stewards' Movement, but my own impression is that Catholic working men have not taken the same interest in industrial affairs in the last few years as they did some 20 to 30 years ago."
Sir Patrick DoIlan,, distinguished Scots journalist and labour leader, former Lord Provost of the City of Glasgow, said this when questioned on the Shop Stewards' Movement recently.
" Catholics in those days," said Sir Patrick, " were noted for their leadership and influence, especially in the Miners' Union, before the first world war. Since then they seem to have been content to allow others to think for them. Catholic workers to-day have a better opportunity than their
fathers and grandfathers, as they union officials, can be opposed and are better educated—housed—fed, bettered. and ought to give more service to TYNESIDE.
the trade unions and social organisations than they do."
Recent inquiries undertaken by 'rim CATHOLIC HERALD reveal some startling advances on the part of the Communist Party. in respect of control of the Shop Steward Move LIVERPOOL
From Liverpool we hear: "Headache for years to Union officials, a very old and established firm. employing a fair number of Catholic girls is in the process of being ' organised ' for better working conditions and rates of pay by two ' redundant ' shop stewards from a Merseyside group of factories.
" This particular group was noted during the war for the way the Communist-dominated shop stewards' organisation ' ticked over.' In fact. it often runs faster than the union, and on one occasion started .cage negotiations with the management— a gross overstepping of the function of shop stewards, under a clause in trade union constitution.
"With the end of hostilities and conkquent reduction of staff in certain factories many Communist shop stewards have scattered to new pastures and employers who have never known the itch of Communist agitation are now seeing a militant attitude in their workers. As a rule the worker has little personal interest in the guardian of his conditions of labour. and should a Communist ' muscle in' •on his behalf it is lust another case of ' Red ' what's-hisname fixing the boss."
SHEFFIELD From Sheffield comes the news of a very active shop stewards' group. The union most affected is the Amalgamated Engineers' Union, which has a liking for appointing c!immunists as officials.
The local convenor of shop stewards was, until recently, in the 'works of the English Steel Corporation, and had around him a 90 per cent, Communist shop steward group which had complete control over the District Committee of the A.E.U. • This convenor has now been appointed an official of the union and owes all his success to the enthusiasm and virile action of his political friends.
In every works in Sheffield which has shop stewards, the Communists are in command even though in the minority. It is said that the trade unions in the area do not look with favour on the shop stewards and some refuse to recognise the movement. Again, some workers (not Communists) look to the shop stewards' movement as being a means by which weak and compromising settlements' of the trade On Tyneside it is reported that 40 per cent. of shop stewards are known to be Communists or have Communist sympathies. In the area there are approximately 189 shop stewards and only five are Catholics. Many of the groups contain lapsed Catholics and it is estimated that 20 per cent. of the Communists in this area once belonged to the Church.
SCOTLAND From Scotland it was reported that the shop stewards exercise influence in the shipbuilding and engineering industries, where their affairs are properly conducted. They are capable of giving good help to the management — the workers and the general output.
One of the largest firms in Glasgow works in close co-operation with the shop stewards and its outout and absenteeism returns are the best for any industry in the country.
However, here again the Cornmtinists control quite a number of shop steward committees, and where such is the case, their affairs are directed by a central Communist organisation which has offices in London and Glasgow.
Whilst admitting that the Communist bogy can be overdone— many times is—by those who know very lade about it who play into the Communists' hands by painting a picture of a hand of illiterate agitators emanating from Hyde Park, it is important to keep track with their Permeation of industry.
The only reason the Communist serves the worker is that, if supported, he and his followers will be able to control the economic life of the country and in turn the Government.