NFC about-turn by Labour Party?
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IGNS that the Labour Party is backing down from its previous olicy of re-nationalising the National Freight Company without impensating its new shareholders emerged at last week's Party mference in Brighton.
While delegates decided that
next Labour Government lould set up a fully integrated Jblic transport system and rem-se the Conservatives' decion to hive off NEC and parts of -itish Rail to private enterprise, ey could not agree that private ryners should not be paid cornmsation.
Transport Salaried Staffs Asiciation general secretary Tom (nkins echoed past policy by ying that it should be spelled it to anyone considering taking ) the Government's offer of Dieing into publicly owned msport that they would get
money back when Labour retionalised.
But clerical union APEX (Assoation of Professional and ecutive Staff); general secrey Roy Grantham, a Labour Iht-winger, said re-nationalisa)n without compensation )uld hit workers' pockets too. 'The vast majority of people this country have insurance or nsion funds invested for them the City," he said.
4nd a suggestion by Ray ckton, general secretary of the sociated Society of Locomoe Engineers and Firemen, that bour should nationalise "all :ms of inland transport irresctive of size" came under fire. rhe Transport and General )rkers' Union's Larry Smith warned: "It is not really practical to nationalise owner-drivers of lorries, taxi-cabs, barges, or even light aircraft. We should only be cutting off our noses to spite the asset-strippers' faces."
While the words of caution from Brighton may go some way towards calming the nerves of potential investors in NFC, especially employees who are expecting the prospectus for the Company buy-out within a month, they come as little comfort to others involved in road transport.
Road Haulage Association director general Freddie Plaskett said this week: "I believe that any Labour administration which thought seriously about nationalising road haulage would have to consider the con sequences which that might have, not only for employers, but for their employees as well."
A Freight Transport Association spokesman commented that, while own-account operators did not expect to be involved directly in any nationalisation, and consequently would not be concerned about compensation, they would be opposed, as transport customers, to any extension of State-owned freight transport.