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Productive Clerks: White-Collar Productivism and State-Building in Palestine's Jewish Community, 1920–1950*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 February 2009

David De Vries
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Jewish clerks during the Zionist state-building period were intensively engaged in the social construction of productivity, and in turning the latter into a mechanism of social restraint. The clerks' productivism and concern with social utility was manifested in the reproduction of accepted Zionist physiocratic and constructivist notions of productivity, as a strategy in the politics of status; in the modernist transformation of the understanding of productivity to suit their own occupational terminology; in the prescription of the necessary qualities of the productive clerk; and in realization of these discursive campaigns in the practice of labor relations. These manifestations challenge a simplistic approach to the dissemination of the language of productivity as either a one-sided nationalist socialization, or a straightforward managerial strategy of control. Based on primary archival sources of the clerks and their union this paper argues instead that they reflected the intertwining of national attitudes with from-below advancement of group interests.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Review of Social History , Volume 42 , Issue 2 , August 1997 , pp. 187 - 218
Copyright
Copyright © Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis 1997

References

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47 Telephonistit, , “Ha-Telphonist'iot [The Women-Telephonists]”, Shurot, 104 (08 1950), p. 17.Google Scholar Feminization is reflected in the fact that between 1931 and 1961 the share of Jewish women in the Jewish labor force employed in governmental and public services increased from approximately 11.7 per cent to 20.8 per cent, and their share in the Jewish labor force employed in the private sector of commerce, banking and insurance increased from 10.4 per cent to 27.4 per cent. See Mills, E., The Census of Palestine, 1931 (Alexandria, 1933), vol. IIGoogle Scholar, and Population and Housing Census 1961 (Jerusalem 1961), 21, pp. 18–23.Google Scholar

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50 Dotan, , “Ha-Katvanit U-Mechonat Ha-Ketiva”, pp. 14–16.Google Scholar See also Chayut, , “Machalot Ha-Atsabim Be-Chayei Ha-Pakid”, pp. 22–23.Google Scholar

51 Ger, , “Ha-Pekidut Ha-Tsiburit”.Google Scholar

52 Dotan, , “Pirion Avoda Be-Avodat Ha-Pakid”, p. 14.Google Scholar See also Yohannes, D., “Paradoxim [Paradoxes]”, Shurot, 178 (10 1956), p. 5Google Scholar; Idit, M., “Ta'arucha Le-Ye'ul Misradi Be-Cheifa [An Exhibition in Haifa on Making Office More Efficient]”, Shurot, 178 (10 1956), p. 14.Google Scholar

53 , R., “Matsav Ha-Pekidim Be-Eretz-Israel”, p. 6.Google Scholar See also Devoskin, , “Ratsionalizatsia Be-Avodat Ha-Misrad”, p. 7Google Scholar; Kroy, T., “Ye'ul Ha-Avoda Ve-Tohar Ha-Midot – Keitsad? [Combining Work Efficiency and Integrity – How?]”, Shurot, 159 (03 1955), pp. 8–9.Google Scholar

54 Weinryb, , “Me-Ba'aiot Ha-Pekidut Ha-Yehudit”, pp. 4–5.Google Scholar See also Devoskin, I., “Ha-Pakid Ve-Ha-Misrad [The Clerks and the Office]”, Shurot, 122 (02 1952), p. 10Google Scholar; Globerson, A., “Le-Ba'aiat Pirion Avoda Be-Pekidut [On the Problem of Labor Productivity in the Clerical Profession]”, Shurot, 123 (03 1952). pp. 6–7.Google Scholar

55 Maier, , In Search of Stability, chs 1 and 3Google Scholar; Nolan, , Visions of Modernity.Google Scholar For an earlier discussion sec Nadwomy, , Scientific Management and the Unions, ch. 9.Google Scholar

56 Kupferberg, , “Bilu'ach Ha-Pakid – Tsav Ha-Sha'a [Insuring the Clerk – the Need of the Hour]”Google Scholar, in Ha-Pekidim, Histadrut, Alon Ha-Va'ad Ha-Merkazi, 8 (07 1934), p. 3.Google Scholar See also Frenkel, , Idiolog'iot Te'us Be-Falestina-Ai, pp. 99–101.Google Scholar

57 Ha-Pekidim, Histadrut, Din Ve-Chesbon [Report of the Clerks' Union] (08 1929–11 1931)Google Scholar; Argov, A., “Al Chilufei Pekidim [On Exchanging Clerks]”, Pinkas, 2 (10 1935), pp. 23–25.Google Scholar See also the Clerks' Union correspondence with the Jewish Agency in Ha-Pekidim, Histadrut, Din Ve-Cheshbon La-Ve'ida Ha-Revi'it Shel Ha-Histadrut Ha-KlalitGoogle Scholar [Union of Clerks' Report to the Histadrut Fourth General Convention] (1933); Meltser, N., “Me-Saviv Le-Ba'aiat Ha-Ye'ul Ba-Pekidut [On the Problem of Making Clerical Work More Efficient]”, Shurot, 169 (01 1956), p. 6.Google Scholar

58 Resolutions of the National Convention of the Clerks' Union, in Chaveret Le-Inianei Ha-Pekidim (1929), pp. 32–35.Google Scholar The largest collective agreements were signed between the Clerks' Union and the Jewish Agency for the years 1934–1937, for which see Ha-Pekidim, Histadrut, Alon Ha-Va'ad Ha-Merkazi, 7 (06 1934), pp. 4–5.Google Scholar Between the beginning of 1933 and summer 1934 at least ten complex collective agreements were finalized and others were under negotiation; see Ha-Pekidim, Histadrut, Alon Ha-Va'ad Ha-Merkazi, 8 (07 1934), p. 2.Google Scholar By April 1937 23 collective agreements were signed, 8 in public offices, 5 in banks, 5 in commercial companies, and 5 in local committees. See the chapter on collective agreements in Report of the Clerks' Union, Pinkas, 13–14 (05 1937), pp. 7–17.Google Scholar For later developments see Glazer, , “Ha-Ta'asia U-Pekide-ha”, pp. 2–3.Google Scholar

59 Gavrielli, , “Ha-Politika Ha-Ta'arifit shel Histadrut Ha-Pekidim”, p. 17.Google Scholar See also Cohen, T., “Heskemei Avoda Collectivi'im [Collective Agreements]”, Shurot, 117/118 (09–10 1951), pp. 16–17.Google Scholar

60 Achituv, , “Pekidei Ha-Ta'asia Ve-Hamedina Ha-Yehudit”, pp. 4–5.Google Scholar

61 Bendix, L., “Choze Ha-Avoda Ve-Erko La-Oved Ha-Ivri [The Labor Contract and its Value for the Jewish Laborer]”, Shurot, 3 (10 1938), p. 8.Google Scholar

62 Ben-Ze'ev, , “Pekidei Ha-Misradim U-Batei Ha-Mischar [Office Clerks and Commercial Establishments]”, Pinkas, 2 (09 1930), p. 34.Google Scholar

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64 Ziedenbank, S., “Al Va'adot Ha-Yetsur [On the Production Councils]”, Hapoel Hatsair, 26 07 1945Google Scholar; Dochan, Y., “Va'adot Ha-Yetsur U-Perion Ha-Avoda [The Production Councils and Labor Productivity]”, Shurot, 95/9 (10–11 1949), pp. 12–14Google Scholar; Khushi, A., “Ha-Poel Ve-Ha-Meshek: Tots'ote-ha Shel Shitat Ha-Premi'ot [The Worker and the Economy: The Consequences of the Bonus System]”, Ha-Dor, 23 12 1949Google Scholar; Barash, Z., “Pekidei Ha-Ta'asia U-Moatsot Ha-Yetsur [Industrial Clerks and Productivity Councils]”, Shurot, 98 (01 1950), pp. 12–13Google Scholar; Heller, A., “Moatsot Yitsur Ba-Ta'asia U-Ba-Sherutim [Productivity Councils in Industry and Services”, Alei Sadan (10 1950), pp. 20–22Google Scholar; Mokasei, M.. “Moe'etset Avoda Be-Kupat Cholim [Work Council in the Histadrut Sick-Fund]”, Shurot, 122 (02 1952), p. 9Google Scholar; Ma'asim: Ha-Histadrut Be-Cheifa Ba-Shanim 1945–1953 [Deeds: The Histadrut In Haifa during 1945–1953] (Haifa, 1953); Heller, U., Moatsot Yitsur Ba-Ta'asia [Production Councils in Industry] (Tel Aviv, 1954)Google Scholar; Globerson, A. L., Hiva'atsut Meshutefet Ba-Ta'asia Ha-Israelit [Joint Consultation in Israeli Industry] (Tel Aviv, 1955).Google Scholar

65 “Ha-Igud Ha-Miktsoi Ve-Ha-Medina”, an interview with Brantental, M., Ha-Dor, 2 09 1949Google Scholar; Tavor, M., “Le-Hagdil Ha-Tefuka, Le-Harim Perion Ha-Avoda, Le-Horid et Mechirei Ha-Totseret [To Raise Output, Increase Productivity and Decrease Output Prices]”, Ha-Dor, 4 09 1949Google Scholar; Levi, , “Ha-Pakid Ha-Meurgan Be-Medinat Israel”, pp. 4–5.Google Scholar

66 Ziedenbank, , “Al Va'adot Ha-Yetsur”.Google Scholar See also Becker, A., “Ha-Oved Im Korn Ha-Medina [The Worker at the Establishment of the State]” (1951)Google Scholar, in idem, Ha-Oved Be-Israel [The Worker in Israel] (Tel-Aviv, 1970), pp. 36–40.Google Scholar For British background from which some of these ideas were borrowed see Hintan, J., Shop Floor Citizens: Engineering Democracy in 1940s Britain (Aldershot, 1994).Google Scholar

67 Barash, Z., “Chativat Pekidei Ha-Ta'asia U-Bea'iot-eha [The Section of Industrial Clerks and its Problems]”, Shurot, 123 (03 1952), p. 9.Google Scholar See also Mokasei, , “Moe'tset Avoda Be-Kupat Cholim”, p. 9Google Scholar; Streit, Y., “Mo'atsot Avoda Meshutafot Be-Pekidut [Joint Work Councils in Clerical Work]”, Shurot, 134 (02 1954), p. 7.Google Scholar

68 Becker, A., “Ba-Ma'aracha Ha-Kalkalit [In the Economic Battle]”, Hapoel Hatsair, 18 10 1949.Google Scholar Despite initial opposition of the industrialists, by January 1950 50 councils were established in industry: 28 in the private sector, 19 in the Histadrut enterprises and 3 in the public sector. They served 11,500 workers, 30 per cent in the private sector, 40 per cent in the Histadrut, and 30 per cent in the public sector. See “Moatsot Ha-Yetsur”, in Ha-Ha-Klalit, Histadrut, Be-Shnot Ha-Sheloshim: Sekirot Ve-Sikumim, 1921–1951 [In the Thirtieth Yean Surveys and Summaries] (Tel Aviv, 1951), pp. 324–326.Google Scholar For comparison see Shenhav, Y., Mechonat Ha-Irgun: Chakira Bikonit Be-Yesodot Torat Ha-Nihul [The Organization Machine: A Critical Inquiry into the Foundations of Management Theory] (Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, 1995), p. 198.Google Scholar

69 Editorial, “Vadot Ha-Yetsur Ve-Tsibur Ha-Pekidim [Production Committees and the Clerks' Community]”, Shurot, 93 (09 1949), pp. 10–11.Google Scholar See also Ha-Ve'ida Ha-Shevi'it Shel Ha-Histadrut [The Histadrut Seventh General Convention] (09 1949)Google Scholar; Dochan, , “Vadot Ha-Yetsur U-Perion Ha-Avoda”, pp. 12–14Google Scholar; Levi, , “Ha-Pakid Ha-Meurgan Be-Medinat Israel”, pp. 4–5Google Scholar; Ha-Kinus Ha-Artzi Shel Va'adei Poalim be-Mifalei Ha-Charoshet Ha-Histadruti'im [The National Convention of Workers' Committees in Histadrut Industrial Enterprises], 11–12 January 1946, Ba-Histadrut (04 1946)Google Scholar; , M. G., “Lama Ne'edar Mekomo Shel Ha-Pakid”, p. 17.Google Scholar

70 For background see Horowitz and Lissak, The Origins of the Israeli Polity, ch. 9.

71 Lissak, M., “Strategies of Class Formation: The Case of the Labour Movement in the Jewish Community of Palestine: 1918–1948”Google Scholar, in Cohen, E., Lissak, M. and Almagor, U. (eds), Comparative Social Dynamics (London, 1985), pp. 245–261Google Scholar; De Vries, D., “Proletarianization and National Segregation: Haifa in the 1920s”, Middle Eastern Studies, 30, 4 (10 1994), pp. 860–882CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Gelber, Y., “‘Ha-Yehudi He-Chadash’ Ve-Itsuvo Ba-Chevra Ha-Israelit [The ‘New Jew’ and Its Molding in Israeli Society]”, in Gutman, I. (ed.), Temurot Yesod Ba-Am Ha-Yehudi Be'Ikvot Ha-Sho'a [Major Changes Within the Jewish People in the Wake of the Holocaust] (Jerusalem, 1996), pp. 425–442.Google Scholar

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74 Shalev, M., Labour and the Political Economy in Israel (Oxford, 1992)CrossRefGoogle Scholar, introduction. For comparison see Carew, , Labour Under the Marshall Plan, chs 9–12.Google Scholar

75 Compare with a similar role related to teachers in Finer, R., Sochnim Shel Ha-Chinuch Ha-Tsioni [Agents of Zionist Education] (Tel Aviv, 1985).Google Scholar

76 See Din Ve-Cheshbon Shel Va'ad Ha-SenifShel Histadrut Ha-Pekidim Be-Yenahala'im [Report of the Jerusalem Branch Committee of the Clerks' Union], 1943–1947 (Jerusalem, 1947)Google Scholar; Aktzin, B., Ikarei Ha-Minhal Ha-Tsiburi [Principles of Public Administration] (Jerusalem, 1952)Google Scholar; Din Ve-Cheshbon Shel Histadrut Ha-Pekidim La-Tekufa Yanuar 1950-Merz 1952 [Clerks' Union Report for the Period January 1950–March 1952] (Tel Aviv, 1952)Google Scholar; Tartakover, A., “Chevra, Medinah Ve-Chinuch Pekidim [Society, State and Clerks' Education]”, Ha-Minhal, 13 (Spring 1953), pp. 6–8Google Scholar; Uriel, G., Minhal Misradi [Office Administration] (Jerusalem, 1959)Google Scholar; Globerson, A., Nihul Chever Ovdim: Ikarim [Managing A Group of Workers: Principles] (Tel Aviv, 1959).Google Scholar See also Kunda, G., Engineering Culture: Control and Commitment in a High-Tech Corporation (Philadelphia, 1992), pp. 11–13. 160–162.Google Scholar

77 Compare with Carmi, S. and Rosenfeld, H., “The Rise of Militaristic Nationalism in Israel”, International Journal of Politics, Culture and Society, 3, 1 (Fall 1989), pp. 5–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar