'Blacking' lifted in Manchester
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container stuffing dispute by Anthony O'Toole
Aliens' agreement with URTU acceptable to TGWU
• An 11th-hour settlement of a container stuffing dispute in Manchester on Wednesday averted the reference of "blacking" action by stewards to the National Industrial Relations Court in London.
Agreement was reached at a meeting between the management of Allens Transport Services Ltd and representatives of the United Road Transport Union, the terms apparently being agreeable to the Transport and General Workers' Union, whose members had imposed the "blacking" on Allen vehicles wishing to use the Manchester Containerbase at Trafford Park.
The dispute began on July 23, only days after Allens had opened a new warehousing division, Aliens Warehousing Services Ltd. TGWU members at the Containerbase maintained that Aliens were carrying out groupage with non-union labour, in contravention of the AldingtonJones recommendations. Aliens replied that it was not involved in groupage, that it had not contravened any of the AldingtonJones recommendations and that the warehouse staff engaged in stripping and stuffing containers were members of URTU.
Earlier, the TGWU had unsuccessfully pressed Allens to pay Containerbase rates to the eight men on container work. TGWU members at the Containerbase then "blacked" Aliens' vehicles wishing to use the base.
The RHA called a meeting to keep container and warehouse operators informed of the situation. RHA area secretary Mr Bill Farnorth told me that at this meeting members repeated what the RHA had said in the summer of 1972: they did not regard this type of container work to be in any way connected with dock or Containerbase work.
Mr Geoffrey Allen, managing director of Aliens Transport and chairman of Aliens Warehousing, told me on Monday that it looked as though there would be no alternative but to place the matter before the National Industrial Relations Court in London. He felt it was a case which affected every warehouse operator and haulier in the area.
On Monday, too, there was a meeting with a representative of the Department of Employment, but nothing was resolved.
There were further talks between Aliens and URTU on Tuesday, and the TGWU later told Aliens that if new pay rates were agreed for the eight warehousemen on container work, the Containerbase men would be recommended to lift the blacking, at a mass meeting on Wednesday.
Details of the terms put to the men were not known as CM closed for press, but the TGWU men agreed to lift the blacking.