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Midland drivers 'up-staged' by Scottish pay settlement

8th November 1974
Page 21
Page 21, 8th November 1974 — Midland drivers 'up-staged' by Scottish pay settlement
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

by CM reporter

MIDLAND lorry drivers traditional pace-setters for the industry have lodged a claim for parity with Scotland, following the El an hour settlement (for 40 hours) achieved by 21 tons and over Scottish drivers.

Just two months after the Birmingham drivers were granted an all-round increase of £4.65 a week, putting the top rated drivers up to E35.40 for 40 hours, Mr Alan Law has been forced by grass roots pressure to seek parity for his members in a new pay claim lodged with Mr R. A. Butt, managing director of Morris Transport Ltd, of Sutton Coldfield, (who acts as the accredited representative of West Midlands hauliers in negotiations with Mr Law).

All the signs are that the Scottish pay settlement will have a "prairie fire" effect on lorry drivers' pay throughout the country. It is likely to have associated effects on pay deals in the bus industry and, indeed, in the ownaccount sector.

At Newcastle, this week, Mr Dennis Le Conte, RHA northern secretary, has been inundated with appeals from members and even nonmembers for advice and negotiating assistance following the mass meeting of drivers at Newcastle at the weekend when parity with the Scottish settlement was demanded. Despite a plea from Mr David Shenton, Hull regional secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union, for two or three weeks' grace to negotiate with the many haulage undertakings in the area the drivers insisted that strike action would be taken if no settlement was achieved within a week.

The Scottish members of the Road Haulage Association were all said to be operating normally on Monday, but the nationalized sector reported stoppages at three Glasgow depots of Scottish Road Services and at depots of Scottish Parcels Carriers and Tartan Arrow. Drivers at Road Services Caledonian at Glasgow and Preston were not working on Monday.

It was expected that the road transport trade unions in the NFC would press claims for parity — or better — at a meeting at NFC on Monday.

National Carriers and FreightliTiers Ltd, whose drivers are mainly covered by the National Union of Railwaymen, were badly affected with NCL depots in London, Slough and Wat ford on strike and stor pages at Freightliner tel minals at Kings Cross, Strai ford and Willesden, and Coatbridge, Liverpool an Southampton ( Millbrook The Newcastle situatior as regards RHA haulier: appears to be chaotic. Ther is no "assenting group" c Prominent haulage firm and northern secretary, M Le Conte, says there is n alternative but for eae member firm to make ii own deal with employees.

As CM went to press was learned that 5000 drivel in South Wales have attemf ted to open negotiations fc parity with the Scottis drivers in RHA firms. Ti' Welsh drivers, calling then selves the . Welsh Driver Association, comprise men bers of the TGWU an U RTU trade unions.