Another 10s. for London and Municipal Busmen
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LONDON busmen, whose claim for a £1-a-week rise was rejected in January, were offered wage increases of up to 10s. a week on Tuesday.
The men's negotiating committee recommended the employees to accept the offer by the London Transport Executive by 10 votes to two. Cost to the L.T.E. will be more than £1.3m. per year—and a spokesman of the Executive said: "The question of higher fares will now have to be considered."
This move followed the offer of more pay, shorter hours and extra holidays made to municipal busmen late last week. This section of the industry, involving 77,000 workers, is also expected to accept the offer, which was described as the biggest package deal in any major industry this year.
Both offers have yet to be ratified. The London increase will come before a conference of garage delegates next Monday and the National Joint Industrial Council will be presented with the proposals for municipal workers by the wages committee of the Council on Tuesday.
After a full day's meeting between L.T.E. and union officials, increases of 10s. per week for 38,000 drivers and conductors and 8s.-8s. 6d. per week for 5,500 garage maintenance staff were recommended. If accepted, the increases will be back-dated to Wednesday of this week.
The new figures will mean that Central London drivers will receive a basic £10 12s. per week. Conductors will get £10 8s. On country services, drivers will earn £9 19s; 6d. and conductors £9 14s. 6d. Green Line drivers will get 00 5s. 6d. and conductors £9 4s. 6d, Meanwhile the overtime working ban, imposed by Central London busmen in support of a £1-a-week rise, will continue "at least until Monday" according to an unofficial spokesman.
The offer to municipal bus workers includes increases of 5-6 per cent. on basic pay, a reduction of two hours, to 42 hours, on the weekly total, without loss of pay,.,and an additional three days' holiday for employees with more than 10 years' continuous service.
In terms of cash, the increases will mean an extra 10s. 6d. per week for drivers, 10s. 3d. for conductors and between 9s. 3d.-10s. 9d. for maintenance staff. These increases will apply from the first pay period following the agreement.
The remaining section of the industry —the 100,000 employees of provincial companies—has yet to be considered in the light of these wage developments. Their claim for a £1-a-week rise was also rejected last month, and although no arrangements arc at present in hand for a renewal of their claim, it cannot be long before their wages structure is brought into line.
Oh. C. R. Morris, chairman of Manchester Transport Committee, said on Tuesday that the wage award would cost the department £200,000 a year. Fares might have to be raised. The general manager was to prepare a report on the undertaking's financial position.