' Stupid curfew'
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condemned
• Mr Phil Jenkins, Glasgow official of the Transport and General Workers' Union, last week condemned "the stupid curfew" being imposed in Glasgow by bus crews operating from Possilpark depot. He said the ban on buses running after 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays imposed by the union members was "utterly against the needs of the public".
No one was going to play down actual assaults on bus crews in any part of the city, and the union was as much against that as anyone, said Mr Jenkins. "But we have to be reasonable. Members continuing their curfew are hitting innocent people in areas where there is no violence. It could so easily end in a further reduction in the bus services that can be operated in the city. No one wants that."
Asked why bus crews should have voted in the first place for an indefinite curfew on buses based at Possilpark, Mr Jenkins said: "I hesitate to say this, but my information is that we are dealing with some people with definite anarchist tendencies.
"They are only a small proportion of our people, but are enough to cause concern and to cause disruption. This anarchistic attitude will have to be dealt with."
Mr Jenkins said he was not indulging in any blanket condemnation of his members, and could appreciate their legitimate fears on violence. When the transport executive and the police gave assurances on adequate supervision, however, it seemed reasonable to ask crews to do their part in giving a service to the public that paid everyone's wages.