Appeals procedure at the Glacier Metal Company

In the public dialogue on industrial democracy there has been an undue concentration on certain restricted aspects. Two, in particular, have dominated the debate: how and by whom top policy decisions are to be made; and who is to own the business or how are its benefits to be shared out. This is to neglect certain other basic concepts seen to be critical to the running of a healthy social democracy. One of the important corner‐stones of social democracy is the right of appeal by the citizen against a decision or a judgment made by some person in authority ever that citizen. Speaking in very broad terms, this right of appeal, considered essential in social democracy, has never been transferred to or conceded in industrial democracy in any country. Indeed it is rarely, if ever, raised as an issue. It is the absence of this right of appeal which results in an undue number of strikes — often the only alternative. Right of appeal is a democratic method; instant strike is the primitive use of power. At the forefront of this matter stands Glacier Metal. This article describes the appeals procedure in that company. To avoid any misunderstanding it has to be made clear that what is involved is right of appeal against some order or command made by a manager to one of his subordinates, to which the subordinate might object or feel the order to be in some way unjust or improper.