rachos: not for us says Rodgers
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RANSPORT MINISTER Wilam Rodgers told cheering hop stewards on Sunday that e has no plans to force the se of tachographs in British rucks operating in this ountry.
But he is likely, in the near ature, to insist that tachos are tted in UK vehicles on Coninental hauls.
Speaking at an annual mass neeting of Transport and ;eneral Workers Union ■ ranches in Birmingham Mr todgers said that he would Irefer not to see the tacho in lomestic use.
"You should know" he went )n, "that before EEC laws on he tachograph can be implenented in this country regulaions have to be made by me. "I have no such intention ind I am not planning to move n that direction."
Mr Rodgers commented hat as far as he could judge here was no disagreement etween the Government and he TGWU on the issue. He greed with Jack JoneS that he EEC should hold an nvestigation into the use of he instrument in Britain.
Both accepted that tachos n international journeys ere a different matter.
"Already in some cases Briish lorries and coaches have en delayed at border points. e should respect the laws of ther countries as they should espect ours."
Mr Rodgers later toll CM hat until now the British had • n lucky to get away withut using tachos for European rips, "but now we have to ake steps to see that such rips are not imperilled."
Before Mr Rodgers ' made is statement, Alan Law, ecretary of the powerful 543 irmingham branch, launched fierce attack on the tachoraph manufacturers.
"Who is pushing who on the cho issue?" he asked. There as only one body of people ho really wanted the tacho, he manufacturers, and they ere trying to sell a product. The Government had to take everyone's view on the issue into consideration. But its official view was that the sole purpose of the instrument was to enforce the hours regulations.
"This is the only reason for them," said Mr Law, "and the architects of the hours laws were the EEC when Britain was not a member.
"So they can't have taken us into account and we are faced with a fait accomplit. Ministers say that we must obey the rules of the club.
"That is poppycock. There are democratic ways of changing such laws. Rules are not laid down to bind members forever."
The union had told its Euopean "brothers" that it did not want tachos: but he was not convinced that the people who ran the EEC believed it.