No productivity agreement,
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Ministers told by our industrial correspondent
• Three Ministers were told by the Transport and General Workers' Union on Thursday that the National Negotiating Committee had been unable to agree on a nationwide scheme for higher productivity in road haulage.
Mr. Ray Gunter, Mrs. Barbara Castle and Mr. Fred Lee, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, met TGWU officials 24 hours before Mr. Gunter left the Ministry of Labour and Mm. Castle moved from the Ministry of Transport.
They discussed moves to improve efficiency following the recent PIB report on haulage wages and prior to the reduction of working hours required by the Transport Bill.
The union spokesman reported that at discussions of the NNC earlier the same day, they had not been able to make progress on productivity, discussions because the Road Haulage Association could not enter into a national agreement which would bind all its members.
The National Union of General and Municipal Workers, the United Road Transport Workers' Union, and the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers were also present at the Ministerial meeting.
The Ministers agreed to consider points placed before them by the unions. They were meeting the Scottish Commercial Motormen's Union on Monday and the RHA, accompanied by the Confederation of British Industry and the Traders Road Transport Association on Tuesday.
Talks also centred around agreements based on the new 40 mph speed limit for scheduling. No further meeting of the NNC was fixed, but the discussions are expected to continue after the Government has considered the position.
Union leaders are demanding 116 for a 40-hour week for their 200,000 members. But they are prepared to negotiate productivity deals with individual companies.