Försörjningsvillkor i brytningstid : Flottarens arbetsvillkor i förändring under 1930-talet

Living conditions in periods of transitions. Changing working conditions of the log-driver during the 1930s. Petrus Forsgren, Economic History Bachelor Degree, Umeå University Autumn 2020. The working terms, salary and conflicts between the workers and the Umeå flottningsförening in log driving-district of Umeåälven has been studied between the period 1928-1939. Although it was a relatively few years that were studied, changes were observed especially for the working terms. The contracts went from hand-written to standardized and a orientation towards the new consensus for collective agreements in the work places occurred during the 1930s. Collective bargaining agreement were written 1935. The employers were expected to take more responsibility for the workers at the end of the period. A specialization of the workers and foremen occurred although no major changes happened to the log driving process. The working conditions in log-driving were still the same as in early industrialization. There was a diversification to hourly wages although they remained similar in the studied period. Conflicts occurred during the years 1933-34. The log drivers usually combined the work with farming, forestry or later also road construction. Other branches did the same transition but usually earlier such as railway workers during the 1910-1920s or forest workers during the 1960-1970s. This work gives a clue to why the changes happened relatively late in the log driving industry in Umeälven. The internal factors for change were weak due to the background of the workers, pull from other industries in the area and small extent of rationalization within the organization, but the external factors became more and more apparent during the studied period. The new institutional changes ignored the old industries which also lost influence but they were never the less affected indirectly by the changes and the Swedish economy as a whole.