B probes transporter industry
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our political correspondent
closer working relationship between car ry firms and manufacturers was urged by ational Board for Prices and Incomes in In to Parliament on Wednesday as being interests of the industry, its workers and tneral public.
Board, having studied pay and proity in the delivery industry in "broad recommends that the larger employers I form their own association to act as a ig house for the exchange of information industrial relations and giving guidance , and productivity bargaining, bserves that notifications to the Depart of Employment and Productivity of , of pay claims and settlements have 'minimal', and that some recent agree have been inconsistent with the Govern prices and incomes policy.
report says there are about 45 firms in ;livery industry with a total work force ut 4,000.
'gers and take-overs in the last 10 years esulted in the six largest firms controlling half the depots and three-quarters of ansporters. About three-quarters of the elivered were moved by 750 transport e further development of transporter Nil probably mean that they will move an larger proportion of the cars in the
although there will always be a need -ne plate work,' says the report.
Earnings of transporter drivers are high compared with those of drivers working in general road haulage.
The Board believes the trip system of payment to be better than a payment-by-time system in that it related pay more closely to effort. But there seemed scope for more objective measurement of the work and establishment of standard times.
Tachographs might be of value in such work measurement, says the report, which points out this was suggested in an earlier report on the road haulage industry.
Once standard times had been established there should be strict control over them. Increased effort would bring its reward to drivers, but this should be calculated only in relation to reduced costs.
The Board points out that within the industry there is keen competition between delivery firms, but any advantage to the consumer could be outweighed by increases in costs.
"The dice are all the more loaded against the consumer in that the dealer customarily attaches a mark-up to the price himself."
But the system was changing with manufacturers, including Ford and Rootes, placing orders themselves for car delivery. With this development delivery firms would benefit with greater volume and stability of work.
Increasing stability of car delivery work should benefit the workers as well as allowing better fringe benefits, say the Board.
(Pay and Productivity in the Car Delivery Industry. HMSO 4s)