His Majesty's Trade Union

Henceforth the Royal Family will enjoy the blessings of trade unionism right in their own home; Buckingham Palace has been organized. Two hundred and fifty-six of the 260 royal domestics have joined the Civil Servants Union, which is now negotiating with the Trades Union Congress for affiliation. In collective bargaining with His Majesty's servants, Sir Ulick Alexander, the Keeper of the Privy Purse, and Sir Piers Legh, the Master of the King's Household, will represent the King.

At the moment, the servants are bargaining for a 48-hour week (before the war they worked every other day, but the wartime servant shortage changed that; on occasions of state, they are often obliged to work until midnight). Robert Anderson, Deputy General Secretary of the C.S.U., has already obtained an average 27-shilling ($5.50)-a-week raise for the recruits. There is no closed-shop talk at the Palace, but the C.S.U. says it will go all out to capture the four rugged individualists who have not yet joined up.

Besides Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, St. James's Palace and Marlborough House (Queen Mary's residence) will also be organized. Sandringham and Balmoral are personal residences, so the servants there do not come under the head of civil servants.

Future problems between the new unionists and the King's Household will be discussed under the chairmanship of one of the blue-coated (senior) servants of the household, as distinguished from the red-coated (junior) servants. The union has also joined up with the London Trades Council, and one of the King's footmen has been selected as the delegate to the L.T.C.

The Palace has given the union an office for meetings. There the footmen, butlers, housemaids, valets, cooks, pages and workers at the Royal Mews can take their gripes, if they have any. However, an aura of bliss seems to have settled over the Royal menage. Wrote J. R. Clynes, former Home Secretary, in the Municipal and General Workers Journal: "In an enlightened future the head of a royal household staff may not only have the honor attaching to his place of employment but the honor of acting as shop steward for his mates."

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