LONDON PAY ANSWER AND OVERTIME TROUBLE?
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FROM OUR INDUSTRIAL CORRESPONDENT TALKS on the latest pay claim by I London's 35,000 busmen are due to be resumed today (Friday) in a far from cordial atmosphere. For though the London Transport Board has not yet given a reply to the claim for an extra 5s. a week for every five years of service and a third week's holiday with pay, the men are already threatening a complete ban on overtime.
The decision to seek "plenary powers" for such action was taken by the central bus committee of the Transport and General Workers' Union last week. Authority to grant them rests with the union's executive or, when they are not meeting, with the general secretary, Mr. Frank Cousins.
He is unlikely to give them the green light for the moment, even though he went out of his way during the transport debate at last week's Labour Party conference at Scarborough to condemn London Transport for the way in which they allowed their services to run down. The position will not, however, be improved if, as expected, London Transport link any offer they make today with new proposals for the introduction of one-man buses in the outer suburban areas. The busmen have steadfastly refused to work them on "red bus" routes. This time, too, they are expected to insist on a settlement of their claim first before they will even consider such a scheme.
In any case, there are signs that the present claim for what are really fringe benefits will be followed very shortly by a new claim for a straight pay rise. Busmen's leaders feel that only by improving considerably the basic pay of staff will the chronic shortage of drivers and conductors be eased.
London Transport, too, is worried about the position and may be more willing than hitherto to give a really substantial increase in the hope of boosting recruitment.