Strike Threat: Both Sides at M.o.L.
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DOTH sides in the provincial bus dis
pute have now put their cases to the Ministry of Labour. The Union representatives saw Sir Wilfred Neden, chief industrial commissioner, at the end of last week, and the employers visited him on Monday. Neither group would make any statement after the meetings.
When The Commercial Motor closed for press on Wednesday, the 100,000 provincial bus crews were still planning a nation-wide stoppage from midnight next Friday. They are claiming wage increases of about fl a week, and have rejected the employers' 3s. offer.
Any hopes the employers had of attaching " strings " to a new offer must have been shaken when Mr. Frank Cousins, leader of the Transport and General Workers' Union, on Tuesday declared that his members would not accept wage restraint "in any form." He was speaking at the Union's biennial conference in Torquay.
During the conference the Union leaders were challenged over their handling of the threatened strike, It was pointed out that municipal services would still be running because those men were bound by constitutional agreement to take their claim for a similar rise to ubitration.
Commented Mr. George Fielding, a Blackpool delegate: "A situation of that sort, with company men out on strike and municipal men at work, will produce chaos."
However, Mr. Cousins smoothed the complaints by chiding members for publicly debating a matter which was still the subject of private negotiation. He said the union was not unmindful of the problems, and would deal with them accordingly.
He added that he hoped there would be a successful outcome to the talks, which would prevent a strike, although they would not hesitate to order a stoppage if there was a further breakdown in negotiations.