Labour problems of technological change / by L.C. Hnuter, G.L.Redi & D.Boddy

Nowadays especially, we are frequently told of dramatic advances in science and technology, and of their application to industrial processes. But our enthusiasm for such advances may be tempered by concern over their effect on employment. For example, how many men will be put out of work? What problems will arise in adapting the labour force to new requirements? What industrial re lations problems do they throw up? Are there any areas where further policy measures could assist? These questions will continue to arise as technical progress goes on. It is essential to the development of better means of handling these problems that more should be learned about the difficulties that commonly arise, and of the

methods adopted by companies to overcome them. An essential element in understanding techno logical change is to see it against the economic and industrial relations situations of the industries concerned-labour-saving techniques may have very different effects on employment in an expan ding concern from those in a declining one. Again, if successful, trade union policies to protect members' jobs can materially influence the effects of change.

This study concentrates attention on these questions as they have arisen during the 1960's in three industries: printing, chemicals and steel. These industries differ in their rate of growth, stage of technological development and in the power of their trade unions. This examination of the trends of changing technology, against the economic and industrial relations background of each industry, throws up both valuable contrasts and compari sons in their experience of applying new techniques of production. Following the sections dealing with each individual industry, the final part of the book takes up more directly some of the main questions raised by technological change, such as redundancy, redeployment and retraining, wage problems, and the role of productivity bargaining.

The authors are all experienced economists, of the Department of Social and Economic Research at the University of Glasgow. They have been closely involved in the study of labour and indus trial relations, and in preparing the present work they spent considerable time in the industries con cerned. The study therefore has a strong empirical foundation, and should prove very valuable to all concerned with employment problems.