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148 
Blacklist grows in W. Midlands
Page 5
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• STARR Roadways of Bilston, Staffs has become the fourth operator in the West Midlands to be blacked by Government departments over its agreement to a 15 per cent pay increase for drivers last year.
The company was carrying out one movement a week classified as secret but has now been told that it will get no more work from the Ministry of Defence because it has not completed a declaration that it has not and will never breach Government Pay Code recommendations.
"We are caught in a triple Catch 22 situation," said Starr financial director Tony Berry. "On one side we have the unions who would have taken action if we hadn't paid the 15 per cent, on another we have the possibility of a claim under Schedule 11 (Employment Protection Act) if we don't pay the rates that prevail in the area and now we have the Government as well," he said.
Mr Berry added that the undertaking — which all hauliers working for Govern ment departments have been asked to sign — was far too open ended.
The undertaking had arrived at the Starr office but had not been returned and it was followed by a letter from the MoD breaking the news that there would be no more work from the department for the company.
Mr Berry said that he had decided not to contest the decision. "We would have been faced with a long and expensive action which we would probably have lost," he said.
West Midlands Road Haulage Association area secretary Bob Ward told CM: "I 'm very disturbed about this. All the blacked companies are damn good operators.
"This is a case of blatant hypocrisy. These are self made men who freely negotiate the wage agreement and are hammered while Fords with a development contract next to the Prime Minister's constituency do just as they please," said Mr Ward.
"We are hoping that pressure from the Confederation of British Industry will do something to convince the Government that this is not the right course of action but no one expects that we will get these contracts back before August," he said.
"It is about time the Government realised that eventually these small industries are going to bite back—but we hope that this business will resolve itself at the end of this phase of the pay restrictions," said Mr Ward.
News that Starr Roadways has been blacked follows only a fortnight behind the blacking of Capers Transport of Coventry, which was carrying Alvis Scorpion armoured cars from Coventry to Hampshire.
And last week a mystery haulier moved 12 of the Scorpions from Coventry—despite all the vehicles being blacked by both West Midlands hauliers arid Transport and General Workers Union drivers led by Alan Law.