MIDLANDS STRIKE IS COMMITTEE'S FIRST TEST
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'THE Road Haulage Association has
this week been attempting to have a Midlands strike of lorry drivers dealt with by the emergency machinery of the new National Negotiating Committee for the Road Haulage Industry. The dispute arose from a claim by the Transport and General Workers' Union, presented by the regional trade group's secretary in Birmingham, for an immediate increase of £2 a week in basic pay for all hourly paid staff employed by 11 haulage companies in the area. This was presented last month.
The 11 companies promptly met to consider the claim and rejected it, while offering to have it referred to the National Negotiating Committee. The RHA says that the employers felt that the claim had national implications and was unrelated to any consideration of increased productivity.
The TGWU regional secretary, Mr. A. D. Law, found the companies' reply totally unacceptable and reported back to his members, first telling the employers that he expected there would be demands for strike action, and that the claim might be increased. On Tuesday the shop steward at Atlas Express Co. (Birmingham) Ltd., one of the 11 companies concerned, presented a demand for an immediate £3 a week increase on behalf of his members and, when this was formally rejected, all the Atlas drivers at the Birmingham depot struck.
At mid-week, F. Lewis and Sons, of Aston. also had staff on strike and so had Millichamp Haulage Ltd., of Stechford, while Walker Bros. (Transport) Ltd.. of Hockley, had strike warnings.
The RHA issued a statement on Tuesday saying that although the constitution and procedure of the National Negotiating Committee (which had received the warm approval of the Minister of Labour and of the Prices and Incomes Board) provided for (he reference of differences to an emergency sub-committee, this agreed procedure had so far been ignored by the local official of the TGWU. The Commercial Motor's information at mid-week was that Mr. Law (who is on the national committee itself) was against discussion of the claim at national level.
A meeting of the emergency subcommittee of the National Negotiating Committee was due to be held at Brighton at 4.30 p.m. yesterday.
Atlas Express told this journal on Wednesday that their men were already paid 15 per cent higher than the basic rate in Birmingham and that their drivers' earnings _were in the £18-£26 range.
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