Wages Increases Will •
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T.G.W.U. Rejects Bus Companies' Offer : R.H.E. Raises Pay by 7s. a Week
IT is estimated that the road transport industry is being called upon to 'find an extra £10m. a year on account of wages. All sections of the industry are concerned.
The Transport and General Workers' Union is reported to have refused the offers of increased wages made by the bus companies. Officers of the Industrial Relations Department of the Ministry of Labour met representatives of the Union, on Wednesday, to discuss the Matter. The meeting was held at the Union's request.
The Road Haulage Executive granted drivers, mates and bank staffs an increase of pay as from last Monday.
The dispute between the bus companies and the T.G.W.U. came to light when several hundred drivers and conductors based on the Stockport depot of the North Western Road Car Co., Ltd., threatened to restrict working, last week-end, when the local wakes week began. Transport employees of the Stockport municipal undertaking had just received an increase of lls. a week, and the North Western employees claimed a similar advance.
Companies' Offer Smaller
A delegate to the National Council for the Omnibus Industry told operatives of the North Western Road Car Co., Ltd., that the companies had offered their employees a smaller increase than that awarded by the municipal undertakings, because they claimed that their work made lighter demands on the men than municipal operation. Offers made by the companies had, he said, been rejected by the Union, representatives of which had suggested that the dispute should be referred to the Ministry of Labour.
The threat to restrict working was withdrawn because of the negotiations with the Ministry, to be held on Wednesday.
Threat of Strike '
At a meeting at Salford, last Saturday, of a committee representing the North Western staff at 13 depots, a resolution was unanimously passed declaring that should the Union be dissatisfied with the progress made at Wednesday's meeting, a national delegate conference of company bus operatives should be held. This conference should consider requesting the general executive of the Union to support a national strike of company bus employees to obtain rates of pay and conditions of service similar to those granted by municipal undertakings. No individual action should be taken by depots.
Altogether, 90,000 employees are concerned in the negotiations between the companies and the union.
Employees of municipal bus undertakings received increases in wages in the first full pay week following July 16. These provided an extra Its, a week for drivers. 10s. for conductors, revised scales for inside staffs, and equal pay for women replacing male workers.
Some 70,000 employees benefited. • No date has so far been fixed for a meeting between the London Transport Executive and the T.G.W.U, concernine a30 the claim for a "substantial" but unspecified increase, which was lodged on July 30. The Executive is understood not yet to have made an offer. About 50,000 L.T.E. employees are affected, and they bring to over 200,000 the total of bus workers for whom negotiations for higher pay have been completed or are proceeding.
Half the extra cost of wages is likely to fall on the passenger section of the road transport industry. Some companies. and municipalities have already made it clear that they cannot absorb any further advance in costs and that fares will have to be raised again.
R.H.E./ Anticipates
Although the new scales of pay for workers employed by Aand Blicensees, as outlined in R.H. (37), have yet to be ratified, the R.H.E. has granted its workers increases equal to those proposed for employees of free hauliers. This award took effect last Monday.
Under its terms, adult operating and other grades receive an additional 7s. per week, with proportional rises for juniors. Fifty thousand. drivers, mates and bank staff are affected.
As reported in The Comrnercial Motor" on August 3, the maintenance staff of the R.H.E. has applied for an increase in wages, and it is now known that an extra 3d. an hour has been offered to the 9,000 workers concerned.
It is understood that, so far, no consideration has been given by the Executive to an increase in haulage rates specifically to cover the additicnal cost of wages.
Hauliers to Find 13m.
The Road Haulage Association calculates that when R.H. (37) takes effect, free hauliers will have to find at least another £3m. a year. An R.H.A. spokesman said this week that no special meeting of the Association's rates committee would he called to consider the impact of R.H. (37) on haulage rates, but the situation would naturally come under review at the committee's next routine meeting.
The estimate of flOm. does not include the cost to the Post Office of an award made this week by the Civil. Service Arbitration Tribunal to 60,000members in the engineering, supplies and transport grades. The average increase is 10s. per, week per man. This is less than claimed, but more than offered.