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Anger on pay front

5th July 1980, Page 5
5th July 1980
Page 5
Page 5, 5th July 1980 — Anger on pay front
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UNION LEADERS have reacted angrily to British Road Services group managing director David White's suggestion that haulage wages have outstripped inflation, writes MIKE RUTHERFORD.

Mr White made his controversial statement in London last month and said that, as a nation, we need to make every effort to hold transport costs at a realistic level. "There is a lot of competition and we have to keep ahead of it,he said.

"Wages in the industry have now outstripped inflation and I fear that if wage aspirations are not moderated in 1980, employment prospects will be affected.'" United Road Transport Union general secretaryJackson Moore disputes Mr White's knowledge about the level of payments being made by hauliers. "He is no position to talk for the industry which is very segmented."

Mr Moore said that with so many separate agreements, Mr White is not qualified to comment on agreements that he knows nothing about_ He went on to say that Mr White can only concern himself with BRS which has not "been over-generous" in wage deals in the past.

Its not on. I reject the suggestion that wages are in excess or even level with the rate of inflation,he said.

Transport and General Workers Union commercial group secretary Jack Ashwell remains equally unimpressed with Mr White's statement. "I cannot understand it,he said.' 'The last pay settlement at BRS doesn't even correspond with the inflati9n rate:"

On January 1 this year, BRS drivers received a wage increase of 20.3 per cent. The inflation rate was then 18.4 per cent, but is now running at 21.9 per cent.