

THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



\i GUST 1, 1915. 



Earnings of German Rubber Workers. 



I, , 11 thai tli !u ing in I iermanj in norma! 



times i- lower than in the United States. It is also true 

 that German rates ol wages are far below American aver- 

 in 1913 the German Factory Workers Union investigated 

 ■ ■ I lerman rubber workers and published a 

 prehensive report, from which the following information was 



WAGES FOR TIME AND PIECE WORK. 



th men and women are employed in German rubber factories, 



ii widely differing wage scales, the average wages for women 



being about 50 per cent, below those paid to men. Whereas the 



lowest wages for men recorded in the German Factory Workers 



Union's report were 0.26 marks (<>.l cent.-.) per hour, paid to 



of punching machines, the lowest wages for women 



recorded were 15 pfennigs (3.5 cents) per hour. The highest 



paid to men. on time work, were 0.5605 marks (13.3 cents) 



per hour (paid to makers of electrical sundries). The highest 



Mid to women were 33.5 pfennigs (8 cents) per hour. 



Quite a little piece and contract work was done by both men 

 and women workers m German rubber factories and in both 

 ca^es earnings under this system were, generally speaking, some- 

 what higher than time wages. Less contract work was given 

 to women than to men because, according to the report, it was 

 found impracticable, as a rule, to have women work on contract 

 basis 



111, |i ivesl earnings recorded for piece work for men were 

 0.30 marks i 7.1 cents) per hour, for washers 'in the mechanical 

 goods department, while the highest wages for piece work were 

 0.735 marks (17.5 cents) per hour, paid to men engaged in the 

 preparation of raw rubber. 



For contract work earnings ranged from 8 cents (for making 

 conveyor and transmission belts) to 19 cents per hour, paid i 

 polishers in high-class comb factories. 



WORKING HOURS. 



Working time varied considerably in the different factories, 

 ranging from 46 to i>]'. hours per week. Of the 86 factories 

 investigated and covered by the labor union's report, only 4 

 worked their factory hands 60 or more hours per week, ami the 

 average time for the 27,063 men and women employed in tins, 

 ries was s.s'j hours per week. Twenty-nine per cent, of 

 these workers la lored more than 55}^ hours per week, while 29.32 

 per cent, of them worked 54 hours per week, or 9 hours per day. 

 The working time for the first live days of the week varied 

 from 7' to 10' hours per day, and for Saturdays, from 4 to 

 hours In 25 German rubber factories work began at 

 6 A. M. and ended at 6 P. M. In 2i of. them it began at 7 A. M., 

 ending at 6 P. M. From 10 to 30 minutes was the average time 

 allowed workers for breakfast, from 30 minutes to 2 hours for 

 the noon meal and from 10 to 30 minutes was generally given for 

 tea; this for the first 5 days of the week. On Saturdays, when 

 working time was slightlj shorter than on the other clays, these 

 recesses were also shorter. 



OVER-TIME \\ Vi 



In 9 German rubber factories ovei time was paid for at the 



ular hours and was not counted until 7 



I'. M. One factory counted over-time from 8.15 P. M. and quite 



a number of factories had special over-time wages from 5 to 10 



pfennigs (1 to 2 cents) higher than regular hour w , 



\PPRENTH ESHIPS 



The r< t work has been specialized to such an 



extent in German rubber factories that it is easy for men to 

 lean: lly and many firms no longer have 



apprentices receiving "learners' wages." Some factories, how- 

 ever, continued to exact long apprenticeships during which new- 

 men worked under expert workmen. These apprentices were 

 paid wages ranging between 8.84 marks ($2.10) and 36.00 marks 

 (8.57) per week, but these amounts they were required to 

 divide with their instructors, who received in some cases one- 

 half, ami in others one-third of the apprentice's pay. There 

 were a few lines in which the apprentice was obliged to turn 

 over his whole pay to his instructor. 



IHil. II; \VS. 

 Holidays, as a rule, are not paid for in Germany. Fourteen 

 rubber factories of the 86 reported on, paid partial wages on 

 holidays to workmen and workwomen who had been with them 

 for at least three years. Three firms paid lull salaries on holi- 

 days, one allowed half pay to workers three years in its employ 

 and full pay to those who had been with it for at least five years. 



DIVISION- OF LABOR. 

 Men are employed in all branches of the German rubber in- 

 dustry, whereas women are employed only in certain depart- 

 ments. In such work as storing raw materials, washing raw 

 rubber, drying raw rubber and the like, only men are engaged. 



TABLES SHOWING WEEKLY WAGES IX GERMAN RUBBER 

 FACTORIKS. 



The following tables show the minimum and maximum aver- 

 age weekly wages for male and female adults employed in the 

 86 German rubber factories reported on by the German Factory 

 Workers Union : 



WAGES PAID MEN. 



Average Weekly Wages. 



Minimum. Maximum. 



Nature of Employment. , A ^ f A ^ 



Equivalent in Equivalent in 



Handling Rubber Waste. Marks. Dollars. Marks. Dollars. 



Sorting 16.18 $3.85 22.76 $5.42 



l.eneral (not classified! 22.10 5.26 24.94 5.94 



Preparation of Crude Materials. 



Washing rubber 20.87 $4.97 23.70 $5.64 



Diving rubber 20.6S 4.92 24.72 5.88 



Mixing 21.42 5.10 27.65 6.58 



Calendering 25.15 5.99 31.29 7.45 



era] (not classified) 20.00 4.76 27.39 6.52 



Making Mechanical < 



Rubber sheeting 18.96 $4.51 28.00 $6.66 



inissieii and conveyor belts 20.52 4.X.X 31.26 7 41 



Accessories 1.8.00 4.2s 21.00 3.00 



All hand work 19.62 4.67 26.95 6.41 



All machine work 19.70 4.69 26.45 6.29 



Hind and machine work combined 18.56 4.42 25.47 5.06 



Vulcanizing 21.31 5.07 27.43 6.53 



M vking Hose. 



Hand work 19.51 $4.64 25.77 $6.13 



Machine work 19.34 4.60 25.91 6.17 



II i ! and machine work combined 18.61 4.43 26.06 6.20 



Inner Tubes and Casings. 



Automobile inner tubes 21.60 $5.14 23.80 $5.66 



Automobile rasing- 21.11 5.02 27.92 6.65 



Automobile tire repairs 23.30 5.55 27.68 6.59 



Cycle inner tubes 20.05 4.77 25.96 6.18 



cycle casings 24.00 5.71 30.00 7.14 



Solid tires 22.48 5.35 28.01 6.67 



Specialists (sewing) 21.24 5.06 23.50 5.59 



Vulcanizing 21.40 5.09 25.33 6.03 



Finishing 18.S2 4.48 23.85 5.68 



General (not classified) 20.87 4.97 25.38 6.04 



Surgical Renr* t G 



Patent rubber blocks 24.00 $5.71 28.25 $6.72 



Patent rubber goods 21.62 5.15 27.68 6.59 



Surgical goods 21.13 5.02 28.50 o.7s 



Sponges 23.00 5.47 26.67 6.35 



Diprrn Goods 



Nipples 20.25 $4.82 25.88 $6.16 



vatives 21.09 5.02 22.20 5.28 



Miscellaneous 20.92 4.98 27.92 6.64 



Rubber Erasers. 

 General 17.33 $4.12 25.83 $6.15 



