Red Clydeside: A history of the labour movement in Glasgow 1910-1932

Events

Report by William Weir highlighting the obstruction caused by trade unionism to war-time efficiency, 1916

Sir William Weir resigned as Managing Director of G & J Weir on 24 July 1915 in order to take up a full-time post with the Ministry of Munitions as the Scottish Director of Munitions. Lloyd-George had personally sought Weir for this position as he considered him the right man to implement the Munitions of War Act on Clydeside and to enforce dilution in the munitions works on Clydeside.

As this report highlights, Weir held very firm views on the role of trade unionism during war-time and it was these deeply held convictions which coloured Weir's approach to tackling the militants of the Clyde Workers' Committee during his tenure as Scottish Director of Munitions between 1915 and 1917.

Weir's anti-trade union ethos can best be highlighted by the following quote from the report, 'The responsibility and duty of a workman as a citizen of the empire is absolutely incompatible with his duty as a trade unionist'. Weir's belief was that in a war-time economy geared towards the production of munitions and military supplies, workers should abandon their trade union privileges (either voluntarily or by force of law) in order to ensure military victory over Germany.