court disputes, which would be unfortunate keeping in mind the lack of competence and efficiency of the general courts.419 As has been mentioned, a great part of the criticism was aimed at the rules concerning the employer’s right to make use of his workforce. In concrete terms, this had to do with the right to issue plant regulations and to direct and distribute work, the latter of which was protected in both the act on collective agreements and the act on individual contracts. Even here, there was criticism from the parliament’s left-wing parties. The liberal member of parliament and lawyer, Eliel Löfgren stated that it was unnecessary to use legislation to regulate the employer’s “generally recognised” right to direct and distribute work since it had been proven that the employers themselves had sufficient ability to promote that right and get it unconditionally recognised in contractual disputes with the workers.420 The above-mentioned Schotte, Wijk, Sandström and Larsson from Klagstorp as well stated that the employer’s direction and distribution of work was certainly self-evident and correct, and the representatives of the workers seemed to want to restrict that right more than was right and necessary, but still argued that the matter should be left to the free agreement. By giving legal confirmation to the employer’s right to issue binding plant regulations, employers were given a free hand to determine in important respects the contents of a labour contract.The proposal mixed legal points of view which often meant a break with existing customs with a number of stipulations which perhaps could defensibly find a place in a master-servant act, but which lacked practical importance for large-scale industrial work relationships.421 Sandström, who was also a Liberal and a lawyer, noted that the rules concerning the employer’s right to issue plant regulations included important powers such as the powers of foremen, the p a r t i v, c h a p t e r 8 206 419 SU2 1910:6, pp. 136-139 (Schotte, Larsson from Klagstorp, Sandström,Wijk). 420 FK1910:34, pp. 31-32. 421 SU2 1910:6, pp. 136-139. AK1910:59, pp. 25-26.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjYyNDk=