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Prices Board will examine bus industry's pay structure

11th March 1966, Page 47
11th March 1966
Page 47
Page 47, 11th March 1966 — Prices Board will examine bus industry's pay structure
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

TGWU REFUSES TO CO-OPERATE FROM OUR INDUSTRIAL CORRESPONDENT MR. AUBREY JONES and his National Board for Prices and Incomes are to make a fundamental study of the pay structure of Britain's bus industry. Anyone who has seen the succession of leap-frog claims between the three sections of the industry—London Transport, municipal and company busmen—will welcome an investigation aimed at sorting out the relationship which should existbetween them.

Mr. Frank Cousins, when he first became TGWU general secretary, pledged himself to evolve a co-ordinated policy to cover the country's 200.000 busmen, most of whom were members of his union. But though a number of conferences representing all three sections were held nothing concrete ever emerged and each section continued to go merrily on its own way.

The new push to bring industrial order into wage bargaining has come from Mr. George Brown and his Department for Economic Affairs. Faced with an imminent agreement between London -Transport and the TGWU giving the London busmen a pay rise of 6.6 per cent—double the "norm" of 3 to 3; per cent laid down by the Government's incomes policy—he first halted the settlement (last week's COMMERCIAL MOTOR), then decided to send it to the Prices and Incomes Board.

But he went even further. He decided that the Board should at the same time investigate the claims for a "substantial" increase in pay which both the municipal and the company men had submitted to their employers. Before he did so, Mr. Brown had a meeting at his flat with leaders of the provincial bus employers. At first they were strangely reluctant to have the claims sent to the Board and, according to some reports, it took some forceful argument—and some table bang i ng--from Mr. Brown to persuade them. They maintained that it was too soon for the claims to be referred, since they had only just been submitted.

Mr. Brown's argument—a perfectly logical one—was that in view of the effect of one bus pay settlement on the other sections it was undesirable that the investigation should be confined to the London busmen only. As a result the Board will now investigate first, the criteria for deciding the pay and conditions of London busmen and their application to the current claim. Second, they will probe the claim by the two groups of provincial busmen. And third, they will enquire into the relationship between pay and conditions of busmen in the various sectors of the industry.

TGWU objects to the move To ensure that there is no delay in implementing the London men's increase, which is due to come into force in June, the Board have been asked to present their report as early as possible in May. But that is only one problem. A more important one is the attitude adopted by the TGWU. In talks with Mr. Brown, Mr. Harry Nicholas, acting general secretary of the union, objected strongly to the claim going to the Board. After seeing Mr. Brown he said: "We have not agreed with a reference to the Board and if it is so referred we have said it will be the Minister's responsibility and not ours. We object to the reference because it interferes with our negotiating procedures."

This is, therefore, the first claim that the Board will have had to investigate where Mr. Brown has not secured the prior agreement of the union concerned. The TGWU has from the start been the union most implacably opposed to the Government's incomes policy, and on Tuesday the executive committee decided that they would refuse to give evidence to the Board, and would boycott any future P. and I. inquiry.

Besides laying down the proper relationship between London and provincial busmen's rates, the Incomes Board are likely to try and relate all three to those of railwaymen. This is already a problem in practice since London underground workers receive the same pay as mainline railwaymen, and London busmen are always complaining that their pay has fallen behind that of the tube workers.

The reference to the Board was made despite the fact that the TUC vetting committee had given the London pay agreement and the two provincial pay claims a clean bill of health.

Higher Scottish bus fares

INCREASES in fares throughout Scotland, I estimated to produce additional revenue of Elfm., are proposed by the seven companies in the nationalized Scottish Bus Group. The proposals will be considered by the Scottish Traffic Commissioners at hearings in Edinburgh and Inverness on March 15 and 16 respectively.

The seven companies involved operate about 3,000 services throughout Scotland.

A group official said in Edinburgh last week that additional revenue was needed to meet the cost of a sick-pay scheme, introduced earlier this year, and the 40-hr. week to be introduced shortly.

If approved the new fares will raise the prices of single and return fares and scholars' rickets. Workers' daily fares will also be affected in some districts, either by an increase or the substitution of standard limited journey tickets.

The Ayr Works Committee has decided to refer the proposals of Western SMT Co. Ltd. (one of the seven companies) for fares increases to the National Board for Prices and Incomes.

The Committee will also lodge formal objections against the proposals with the Traffic Commissioners.

Mr. T. Limond, town chamberlain, commented: "This is an application for the worst series of increases I have ever known".

Glasgow Move? Glasgow Corporation Transport is considering moving the headquarters of the transport depot from Bath Street. The transport committee has been informed by officials that the headquarters are too large for the department's needs and it has been suggested, that the sale of the site would realize enough money to build other headquarters. A possible alternative site is in the Cowcaddens area.

No Coloured: Stockton-on-Tees Corporation busmen have decided to oppose any move to recruit coloured men to overcome a shortage of labour. The men believe that coloured workers might accept lower wages and reduce the amount of overtime now available.

Eanburgh Study: A transportation study of Edinburgh and surrounding areas is planned by the Government. The area involved is somewhat larger than that now being surveyed in the Glfisgow study. Adjoining counties and the major burghs in the Forth/Clyde valley will be invited to join the discussions, as well as British Railways and the Scottish Sus Group. The Government has promised financial support.


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