This document extract comes from a file dealing with efforts to find work for the first Commonwealth immigrants. The extract gives details of a pilot scheme for the recruitment of Barbadian women. 1947-1948. Catalogue ref: LAB 8/1499
Contains original language used at the time, which is not appropriate today.
- Why were women workers needed to work in Britain, according to the document?
- What were the concerns about a women’s recruitment scheme for Barbados?
Transcript
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C. The recruitment of Barbadian Women
- There is no doubt of the need of women workers in hospitals, laundries etc. in Britain, but it is very difficult to get employers to give any guarantee that they will employ a given number of workers, particularly coloured workers, and at a distance of 3,000 miles.
- It would be highly desirable that there should be some preliminary selection of suitable women workers in Barbados before sending them to this country.
- Recruitment of women workers from Barbados under an organised recruitment scheme would almost certainly lead to demands from other West Indian Colonies, and it would, therefore be necessary to recruit on a West Indian basis not a Barbadian basis.
- Barbadian women workers employed under any official scheme in this country would have to be paid at the same rates as British women workers, and this might give rise to difficulties, since employers would be doubtful whether the output of Barbadian women would be as good.
- An official recruitment scheme might be possible, but before this could be decided, more careful investigation would be necessary by sounding more closely what guarantees of employment could be given in hospitals, laundries etc.