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NUR presses NCL for closed shop
Page 32
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from a special correspondent • The management of National Carriers Ltd. is wrestling with a knotty problem, I understand. A claim by the National Union of Railwaymen for the closed-shop principle to apply to the 9,000 drivers of NCL may appear to be relatively innocuous, but a decision made without adequate forethought could prejudice future prospects of road /rail integration.
I gather that at least 80 per cent of the NCL drivers are NUR members and that none of the non-unionist drivers are members of other unions—certainly not of any other road transport unions. As things are at present, there would be no point in any NCL driver joining a road transport trade union because there is an entirely separate negotiating machinery within the Stateowned transport agencies—the National Freight Corporation and the British Railways Board. NCL, stemming from the Railways Board as a result of the Transport Act 1968, might wish to sever all connection with the NUR now that its management is integrated within the National Freight Corporation.
The desire of the NUR for the closedshop principle is perfectly understandable—NUR membership has declined markedly with the shrinkage of the railways, and management action in accepting the principle of 100 per cent membership would doubtless bolster NUR finances to some degree.
If big business logic existed in the trade union sphere the Transport and General Workers Union would certainly offer to compensate the National Union of Railwaymen for taking over recruitment rights for NCL drivers. It would make sense organizationally, for once the Minister of Transport had decided to sever the NCL management from the railways the sorting out of union memberships should have followed automatically. Unfortunately, archaic trade union structures tend to follow tradi
tions and old-time loyalties, rather than logical principles of spheres of interest based on function.
The three main rail unions have been plugging away with British Railways management since 1939—no less—over this issue of the closed shop. In relation to purely railway staff I understand that a decision must be taken by the British Railways Board soon—the NUR says it understands the railway management agrees in principle with the closed shop but it is thinking about the detailed agreement necessary.
Behind the scenes it seems likely that Mr. Sydney Greene of the NUR and Mr. Jack Jones, the TGWU's general secretary, will have cogitated together over this knotty problem of jurisdiction. NCL's management, perhaps torn between old loyalties to the railways and new ones to the National Freight Corporation, may be forgiven for sitting on the fence as long as possible. Logical theorizing as to the sensible role of trade unions within an integrated road /rail structure may not be welcomed by any of the parties to this current problem: that does not absolve observers from asking the awkward questions.