HE recent cold spell demonstrated that workers in Britain are not prepared to put up with bad conditions at work; a few examples will suffice: In Birmingham, December 28th, 45 workers in the service department of Rover Company walked out complaining of the cold. They returned next day. One hundred men employed in the Forge and Engineering Company of Sunderland went on strike on December 12th in protest against the cold working conditions. At Liverpool 1,000 women workers at the Meccano factory stopped work on December 29th in protest against the low temperature of the factory. They resumed work when the management succeeded in pushing up the temperature to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. ' 650 workers at the Midland Metal Spinning Company factory at Neath stopped work on December 28th because of the cold. They returned to work the following day. Naturally the press condemned these actions, but this was nothing to the howls that went up when it was reported that workers on the docks, in motor car factories and elsewhere had taken New Year’s Day off work. What the country needs, we were told from all sides, is hard work. However, apparently mot everyone reckons to work on. New Year’s Day as witnessed by an article in the December 28th Financial Times. This was devoted to extolling the virtues of spending one’s holidays in Madeira: Island of sunshine.
By Dave Windsor
‘““Madeira’s new airport could revo-
lutionise travel to this popular” (with
dockers and Midland car-workers?)
“winter island resort... The new
air link is also a wonderful asset to
those who cannot spare the time to
make the outward and return trips
by sea” (these poor businessmen!)
‘“. .to the tired business executive
. . . it could be ‘just what the doctor
ordered.’ . . . Those who like to in-
dulge in game fishing can hire a
fully-equipped launch complete with
STOW iss:
Apparently many people make use
of the island’s facilities because
“most hotels increase their charges
for the winter season which begins
in December.” In case any of the
Manchester dockers or Birmingham
car-workers are thinking of going
there next time they take a day off,
the “tourist return is £82/ 19/0 Lon-
don to Funchal,” but the ‘tired busi-
nessman’ would probably take
advantage of the 30-day excursion
return of £69.
If Madeira is full up the business
executives who read the Financial
Times have other possible holiday
locations. On the same page of the
paper hotels from Austria, Bahamas,
Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Cyprus,
Denmark, France, Germany, Greece,
Holland, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan,
Malta, Morocco, Norway, Pakistan,
Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzer-
land, Thailand and Trinidad and
Tobago found it worth their while to
advertise for winter clientale.