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Prospect of 3 0 /0 for Busmen
Page 44
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FROM OUR INDUSTRIAL CORRESPONDENT
R IT Al N 'S 200,000 bus workers can look forward to a pay rise of about three per cent. That seems to be a fair deduction to draw from last Friday's talks at Broadway House, the London Transport Executive's headquarters. Officially there was no statement at the end of all-day talks between the L.T.E. and the London busmen's negotiating committee, beyond the fact that the negotiations had been adjourned for a week until today (Friday). And all Mr. Sam Henderson, National Passenger Group secretary of the T.G.W.U., would say was that they had put forward again their case in support for higher pay, time and a half for Saturday work and less week-end work, but had not been able to reach any "positive conclusion."
He said that there had been no offer from London Transport, but added significantly: "We are discussing the claims in a positive way with a view to getting a settlement. We shall be very disappointed if no offer is made next week."
In fact, the talks went much further than the statement would appear to indicate. In a wide-ranging review of all the problems the Government's new policy of wage restraint, as well as the railwaymen's three per cent, settlement were discussed.
So, too, were London Transport's specific problems of recruitment and of more economical use of staff.
At the end of it all the busmen's leaders came away with a firm impression that they can expect an offer in the region of 2f to three per cent, when they meet the Executive again. But the offer may be tied to a wider agreement on such contentious and longdrawn out issues as the introduction of one-man buses on the outer suburban routes, the manning of the larger, 64seater Routernaster buses and the raising of the speed limit for buses in unrestricted areas from 30 to 40 m.p.h. London Transport appear to be quite prepared to pay quite substantial bonuses or extra payments in return for union agreement to co-operate on these points. The one-man bus issue, in particular, has been a thorny problem between the two sides for a number of years now. The greater efficiency and productivity resulting from their acceptance would enable the L.T.E. to pay sums in excess of three per cent, without appearing to contravene the Government's incomes policy during the intermediate period of wage restraint. It can be taken for granted that if a settlement along •the lines suggested is concluded on behalf of London's 39,000 busmen, offers in very similar terms will have to be made to the 100,000 company and 77,000 municipal busmen who meet their employers in separate pay talks next month.