The post-war development of British capitalism is eating aray the : traditional basis of the Labour movement, not at all in the way that certain commentators would have us believe. True, the increase in living standards of the working class is giving many of them a stake in affluent Britain, but it is also creating an entirely new stratum of orranised workers - the so-called white collar workers, This influx of whot are generally consid= ered to be lower middle-class workers into the trade union movement is having a profound affect upon the trade union structure, and conconitantly, the Labour Party. For from being a force for compromise and a’ watering down of the socialist policies of the Labour movement, they are becoming its most dynamic section and are giving the Labour movement stimulus politically.
The reason for this development is clear when a close look is taken at the income trends of 'booming' Britain. Snlary earners number about 7 million out of 244 million in the Labour force. More significantly, the rate of growth of the salariat is much higher than the growth of the wage-= earner - salary workers have increased 25% since 1954 compared with a 22% increase in wage workers. ‘his trend will continue as British industry develops modern methods of production, The proliferation of methods study in factory and office, the expansion of computer techniques, the transformation of management into a science, the growth of technical education, and so on, are becoming closely associated phenomena, as yet not appreciated by the left, nor understood by the right.
Changes in production processes are very clearly altering the wage-~ salary structure of many factortes, The charge-hands, foremen, planners, rate-fixers, progress and various clerical grades are being sharply reminded of their vulnerability vis-a-vis the company in matters of both salaries and conditions, The existence of the trade union in the shops, and the general increase in earnings among workers on the shop floor as compared with the "staff" is creating an interest in union organisation inconcievable in the pre-war years. As part of this trend the growth of the Association of Supervisory Staffs, Executives and Technicians in the past 5 years is si™nificant. Now topping the 40,000 mark, it claims to be Britain's fastest growing, ion. Special recriting efforts being made in big engineering and success include the Biit, Aircraft Corp., G.E.C., I.BeM. and many otherse