Unions clash over race
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by Karen Miles • The Transport and General Workers Union could face legal action from the 18,000-member United Road Transport Union following a public row over racism.
URTU lawyers are studying the transcript of a quarrel last week on Radio 4's Today programme between the two unions' general secretaries after the TGWU's Bill Morris accused URTU's David Higginbottom of "compromising with racism". After the interview a TGWU spokesman said the union, which represents up to 150,000 CV drivers, was "not of the mood to retract it".
Trades Union Congress officers are trying to mediate between the two unions after the TGWU asked it to intervene. The dispute follows last week's decision by more than 300 Ford truck drivers based at Dagenham to dissolve their branch of the TGWU and join the URTU.
The drivers have been embroiled in controversy since the TGWU began to help seven black assembly line workers at Dagenham to bring an industrial tribunal case against the vehicle manufacturer on the grounds of race discrimination.
That case has been adjourned until midJanuary. The seven say they are qualified to become L30,000-a-year drivers at the site but that they have been turned down because of their colour.
The move by URTU to recruit the 300 drivers has infuriated the TGWU. "URTU's actions in involving itself through the attempted recruitment of TGWU members is bringing the trade union movement into disrepute and is a breach of inter-union procedures which we are asking the TUC to investigate," says Morris.