Let’s face it, the early to mid 1960s is a DIFFERENT time. The pace of life is altogether slower, children are children for longer, (in fact “the teenager” is still a relatively new phenomenon), and male and female roles are much more clearly defined. Martins’ reputation for friendly and helpful staff comes from its careful choice of employee, and firm regulation of the staff of the Bank. In return for loyalty and integrity, staff are well looked after in practically every way APART from good pay (many staff struggle on very low earnings), and although it is possible for women to get on, there is a clear bias towards the care and nurture of the male staff. In this section, we look at the trouble taken by Martins to recruit and retain “the nicest people” onto its staff, under what might nowadays be considered to be draconian terms and conditions. You can read our 1965 recruitment campaign leaflet at: A CAREER WITH BIG OPPORTUNITIES
			Image © Barclays (Re-mastered)
It is only fair to remember that these are the times when ALL employers can discriminate between the sexes, and that Martins conditions are otherwise excellent, with a real spirit of care being shown from above for everyone. Former staff still speak of a family atmosphere, and managers who were “father figures”. This newspaper ad campaign in the 1960s on the theme of “the nicest people work at Martins Bank”, features smiling young ladies looking happy relaxed, and lucky to be with the bank. In the early 1960s, the bank explores the use of computers almost as a “replacement” for the hard working young women clerks many of whom work for only a few years before they have to leave to get married. Whilst it seems today to be a stark choice – stay at work and get on, or leave to get married and have children, this is the choice across a wide section of British industry. At Martins, many women do stay on and find progression within the bank, even if they are still several steps behind their male counterparts.
By the time governments and employers begin to take equal pay and conditions more seriously, Martins has all but been absorbed into Barclays, and the early 1970s will bring the necessary legislation…
The “welcome letter” that forms part of the induction booklet				What better way to be welcomed into the bosom of the Bank that goes to extremes to be helpful, than with your own personalised induction handbook, signed by Mr Connacher (Chief General Manager of the Bank) himself! The booklet reminds you of the history and tradition of the bank you are about to work for, and in case you are in any doubt of the calibre expected of you, it continues - “WHEN you first came for your interview, you may have felt somewhat overpowered at the thought of working for a bank, and so the first thing we want to say to you is that you are a very important person in our scheme of things”}…{ Banks have come to mean strength, solidity and uprightness in an unstable world. They owe this reputation to the men who have guided them and worked for them.” - before going on to appraise you of the salary scales, holidays and other benefits you can expect in return for your hard work. Women in Martins face a vastly different career path their male counterparts. Even into the mid-1960s, women are expected to leave the bank upon marriage, and salary scales are different according to gender.
	All new entrants, whether male or female, are required to sign a SERVICE AGREEMENT on entering the service of the Bank. More than an ordinary job contract, it actually requires the new employee to think hard about the position they are being given, and how important it is to follow and abide by the rules in return. We have reproduced the text of Martins’ Service agreement below. It certainly leaves everyone knowing where they stand, and what will happen if rules are bent or broken….
MARTINS BANK LIMITED – SERVICE AGREEMENT "In consideration of your taking me into your service, I, (NAME) of (ADDRESS) hereby undertake to serve you faithfully during my engagement and to conform to the Staff regulations and all general or specific directions as may from time to time be given to me by you or on your behalf by the Chief General Manager or any other duly authorised officer of your Bank. My engagement is to be subject to your right at any time forthwith to determine it on the grounds of misconduct, or, in any other case, upon your giving me one calendar month's previous notice in writing, or in lieu of such notice, paying to me one months salary, and subject to my right to determine the said engagement at any time upon giving you one calendar months previous notice in writing. In the event of my leaving your service, I will not, without your written consent, during a period of five years from the time of my so leaving, accept or undertake any engagement or service which shall involve or result in my being employed by any other bank, banking company or banking firm, within a radius of ten miles from any branch or office of your bank in which I shall have been employed at any time during the last five years of my service with you, but it is understood that my engagement or employment by any bank, banking company or banking firm carrying on business beyond the radius aforesaid, and having branches within the radius, shall not be deemed to be a breach of this undertaking, provided that such engagement or employment shall not involve my residing, or carrying on business, or exercising my employment within such radius. I further undertake and agree that in the event of any breach by me of the provisions of the last preceding clause hereof, I will pay to you on demand as and by way of liquidated damages, the sum of £1,000, which sum you shall be at liberty and are hereby expressly empowered to receive against me as liquidated damages, and without prejudicing or in any way affecting your right to restrain, by injunction or otherwise, any such breach, or to exercise and enforce any and every other remedy which may be available to you, either at law or in equity by reason or in respect of any such breach. I further agree and declare that I will observe the strictest secrecy on the subject of all transactions of your Bank with its customers, or with any other person or persons, or bodies corporate or politic whatsoever, and that I will not reveal or make known either directly or indirectly to any person whomsoever, whether a shareholder or otherwise, the state of any account, or any other matters or concerns of the Bank, its Customers, Shareholders, Directors and Staff, unless required by you to do so, or by and under the direction and authority of a Court of Justice, and I further undertake that I will consider this declaration to be binding upon me after I shall have ceased to hold an appointment in your Bank. Yours faithfully… x
						The training of staff is of extreme importance to Martins, as it will of course create those “nice people” whose customer service skills are second to none, and whose knowledge will be deep and wide. Cashiers and Securities Clerks are trained using realistic materials such as those shown left and below. Training is seen as personal betterment, and photographs of successful candidates are published in Martins Bank Magazine…
Whilst courses are provided for both men and women, these are largely segrgated – the men being groomed as management of the future, and women, bound by the Bank’s own rule that they must leave upon marriage, being trained in the execution of day to day procedure, and the operation of office machinery.
The male managers of the future, hard at work at the North Eastern training school.							The girls at Machine school learn how to make those “wonderful machines do the donkey work”
Reference to successful women in Martins is scarce within the many records we have, and it is rare to find a woman’s name that isn’t prefixed with “Miss”. (See INFORMATION DEPARTMENT ) Otherwise, men feature as the preferred gender for “getting on” in the bank. In some areas of the country, staff canteens are segregated in to men’s and girls’. (See also STAFF CATERING ) All available images of training centres feature men becoming the managers of tomorrow. Whilst holiday entitlement is broadly equal, the qualifying salary for four weeks’ annual leave is reduced to £675 pa for women, which gives some idea of the disparity of pay. The smiling lady in the advert tells us “My pay is quite good”. At age 16, it is equivalent to £ 3.94 per week! It seems that men and women are equal until the magic age of 23, at which point pay for male clerks starts to rise more each year than it does for female clerks. In addition, the men are reminded of how special they are, with the incentive of special “merit” awards of extra salary increase to reward good work and encourage more of the same.
Men do NOT, however, have things all their own way, (and once again the word “marriage” comes into it) as we shall see later on in this section…
Male Salary Scale 1955									Female salary Scale 1955
		The list of rules for male clerks is long and detailed, a sort of list of commandments that include the compulsory study for Bank Exams, being forbidden from going overdrawn, being forbidden from gambling in any way shape or form, AND being forbidden from getting married until your salary has reached a certain level. The Bank’s aim is that those who marry should not get into financial difficulty as a result. Staff with money troubles are seen as an embarrassment, and although generous housing loans can sometimes be made available, not everyone will qualify…
16. – “With a view to preventing trouble and distress resulting from too early marriage, a clerk MAY NOT MARRY on a salary of less than £x. This regulation may be waived where there is sufficient private income”.
The extract shown above is from 1937. What makes regulation No 16 even more astonishing, is that it still exists in 1965! Perhaps male clerks are spending too much of their hard earned cash on the “Swinging London” experience, and cannot therefore afford to keep a wife? The waiver for the regulation – having sufficient income of your own – is further hampered by regulation No 15, which forbids men from engaging in any trade, profession or business, either directly or indirectly, without the permission of the directors of the Bank.
					In 1960 Martins Bank Staff Association and the Bank jointly issue a booklet entitled “Inside Information”, designed to help staff understand not only the rules and regulations that go with working for Martins, but also the various benefits that such employment carries. This mixture of benefits and insurance goes some way to making up for low pay. The Staff Association is the nearest thing to a trade union the staff of Martins will ever have.
STAFF ASSOCIATION PERSONAL ACCIDENT SCHEME All staff covered at no cost to themeselves are covered for the following: In the event of accident causing: - Death £1000 Loss of two limbs, two eyes, or one of each £1000 Loss of one limb or one eye £ 500 Temporary total disablement up to 13 weeks £ 1 5s per week (£1.25) STAFF ASSOCIATION HOLIDAY SAVINGS FUND Members agree to pay a fixed monthly sum by standing order, and at any time in the year they can withdraw the total of twelve payments in one go to pay for a holiday. The scheme also allows payment of rates and certain other bills. SATURDAY MORNING LEAVE Management are expected to to allow all members of staff at least one Saturday off in every four, and more where this can be accommodated. Time off during the week is an alternative, but many people will never achieve a five day working week whilst working for Martins. STAFF INTEREST RATES · SAVINGS In return for not being allowed to bank anywhere else, staff are paid 4% on their current account balances up to £100), minimum of 2½% up to the next £1000, and standard deposit account rate on anything above £2000. · STAFF LOANS Ordinary Advances 3% House Purchase loans 2½% Personal Loan 4% LONDON ALLOWANCE In addition to basic salary £60 pa								OVERTIME 1/6d% on each complete £100 of salary. Minimum 6/- (30p) , maximum 15/- (75p) (This is complex by anyone’s standards today, so here’s how it works: 1/6d = £0.075. On a salary of £460pa, £400 will count towards the calculation: 4 x 1/6d = 6/- (30p). £460pa is around 22p per hour, and overtime will be 30p per hour. You cannot not be paid overtime until you have worked more than 8½ hours. Working 8 hours 29 minutes results in NO overtime. This situation continues until the late 1980s, when Barclays finally relents and pays overtime after the first 20 minutes! The profit to the bank of these 29 minute unpaid periods probably ran into tens of thousands of pounds over the years. INSTITUTE OF BANKERS EXAM GRATUITUES Diploma Exam Part I £30 Banking Diploma Part II £60 Trustee Diploam Part II £60 Text Book Allowance… …Banking Exams Six Guineas (£6.30) …Trustee Exams Six Guineas (£6.30) Additional Relevant Exams 80% of total expenses incurred STAFF RESTAURANTS Subsidised meals at nine locations throughout the UK LUNCHEON ALLOWANCE for relief staff away from normal office 3s 6d per day tax free (17 ½p) RAC MEMBERSHIP SCHEME reduced rate membership car £1. 11s. 6d. pa (£1.57½p) motor cycle £1. 5s. 6d. pa (£1.27½p)
© gut informiert! 2007 to date