Alleged Union Pressure for Free Travel
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LEGATIONS were made before the i'outh Eastern Traffic Commisrs at Maidstone last week that the in the Bowater Packaging Company reluctant to withdraw travel-free ties to certain employees in the rsham and. Sittingbourne areas, was to pressure being brought to bear iem by certain trade unions.
ie Commissioners were hearing an cation by Smith's Coaches for a road cc licence authorizing a new service xpress carriages to carry workers een Faversham and Bowater's P ry at Rainham Mark. r. 1. Amphlett, for the applicants, Bowater's had entered into a conwith his clients a year ago to supply lies for their workpeople travelling
Sittingbourne and various points g' the route to their factory at ham Mark. They paid the whole of ost but, owing to a change of policy, later decided to offer only assisted
Paying part of the travel costs— his clients had come before the Cornloners in December with an applicafor a road service licence. Maidstone District Motor Services, Ltd., had in a .counter application to carry the :ers. At the last moment before the ing, Bowater's had decided not to t or sponsor any service at all.
Bowater's Neutrality nith's application was unsuccessful. re-applied but, in the meantime, ater's hail indicated to both Smith's Maidstone and District that they ed to remain absolutely neutral and Id send no representative to the Mg. t the moment, the contract vehicles only running from Sittingbourne to iham Mark, but the applicants wished ike the service back and start it from !Tsham, operating through Sitting-ne.
.r. W. H. G. Smith, a partner in :h's, said the business consisted .ely of contract and private hire .ations. He produced figures to show 95 people were using the service :1-1 was split into two shifts. Passen were at present making their own into Sittingbourne.
fr. L. Theobald, area organizer of the ional Union of Printing. Bookbinding
Paperworkers criticized Maidstone
District for not knowing the tirements of the factory. Asked what s the Union had taken to inform dstone and District of the requireIts, Mr. Theobald said he did not conr that was his responsibility. He said men were given to understand by raters that they would have to pay ething like 5s. to 7s. a week for their el. "It is up to Maidstone and Dis to find all this out," he added.
Ir. S. Smith, traffic manager of Maide and District, said that his company would he willing to modify certain timings if they were granted dispensation to do so. He said one of the early morning services, which had been altered to suit the timings of the factory, carried only four people.
Asked by Mr. Amphlett why, if the existing service was reasonable and satisfactory, Bowater's. were paying for the men to travel on a contract coach, Mr. Smith said that Bowater's had been reluctant to withdraw the travel assistance "in view of the pressure which has been put upon them by the unions." The application was refused, the Commissioners granting dispensation to Maidstone and District to modify their timetables for services in the area.