658 



The Farm Worker in Scotland. [Oct., 



Wages. — The total weekly wages of farm workers depend to 

 a considerable degree on the quantity and the value of allow- 

 ances provided. In addition they depend on the experience and 

 ability of the worker and the nature of the occupation. 



Hours. — As a general rale, throughout Scotland the working 

 hours of the whole of the farm staff, with the exception of the 

 cattleman and shepherd, are practicalh' regulated by the hours 

 of the ploughman. The stable w^ork of the ploughman is con- 

 siderablv less for three or four months in summer when the 

 horses are put out to grass, but the amount of time spent on 

 stable work may be taken on the average to be about 7 hours 

 a week. This means that, except for cattlemen and shepherds, 

 ploughmen usually perform 7 hours per week more than other 

 workers. The Sunday duty and in cases the Saturday half- 

 holiday duty are generally performed in turn on farms where 

 more than one ploughman is employed. The general working 

 day for ordinary workers throughout Scotland during the 

 summer before the War was recognised as 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., 

 with 2 hours off at dinner time. During the four winter months 

 it w^as usual to work from dawn to dusk with an hour's interval 

 at mid-day — roughly from 7.30 to 4,30. On most farms the 

 working hours on Saturday were the same as on other days, 

 but in some parts of the country it was becoming customary 

 to stop work at 4 p.m. or 3 p.m. and sometimes at 1 p.m. For 

 the greater part of Scotland the pre-war working day may be 

 reckoned as 35 weeks of 60 hours and 17 weeks of 48 hours' 

 average, to which for the ploughman must be added 7 hours 

 per week for stable work. No overtime was paid for any excess 

 hours, and the only general holidays were New Year's Day and 

 one or tw^o hi ring-fair days. 



The Farm Servants' Union which before the War had 

 already obtained some measure of success in reducing the 

 length of the w^orking day, suspended its activities in this direc- 

 tion during the War, but after the Armistice this body met in 

 conference with the National Farmers' Union of Scotland. As 

 a result working hours were in many districts agreed on the 

 9 hours per day basis for 42 weeks, 8 hours per day for 6 weeks 

 in the short days in winter, and 10 hours per day for 6 weeks 

 in hay time and harvest, with overtime to be paid after 10 

 hours have been worked on any day. 



The 1919-20 Report of the Board of Agriculture for Scotland 

 states that in general, farm work is now based on the 9-hour 

 day and commences either at 6 a.m. or 7 a.m., and finishes at 



