Bus Pay Demands Presented
Page 45
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
From our Industrial Correspondent J-4 EADERS of the municipal and pro
vincial company busmen made a surprise move last week in their claim for higher pay and better conditions. Instead of awaiting the outcome of last Friday's talks between London Transport Executive and the London busmen, they dispatched their claims to the two negotiating bodies, the National Council for the Omnibus Industry and the National Joint Industrial Council for the Road Passenger Transport Industry.
The claim reached the N.C.O.I. a day before they were due to discuss a series of other improvements in working conditions: The employers therefore suggested that the council should adjourn for both series of claims to be considered together.
Both sets of employers were presented with the same set of demands--a "sub
stantial " increase in pay, and time and a half for Saturday work.
It is also largely the same claim as that presented by the London men, and already rejected by the L.T.E. Friday's meeting was by way of a second attempt to wring some concessions, despite the pay pause. So far, all the L.T.E. representatives have been prepared to offer is a "scarcity allowance" for drivers and a joint committee to investigate the possibility of reducing week-end working.
Meanwhile, drivers and conductors at Homchurch L.T.E. garage have threatened to strike OR Christmas Eve and Boxing Day over schedules, which, they claim, would mean longer working. The schedules were agreed by a negotiating committee of busmen, but London busmen have long argued that Christmas working should be voluntary.
If the Hornchurch crews persist, other garages might join them. The whole question is likely to be thrashed out at a busmen's delegate conference next Monday.
Licensing No Cure-all
AFTER nearly 30 years of operation the goods licensing system had still failed to achieve the state envisaged by its sponsors, said Mr. W. Farnorth, at the December meeting of the Institute of Traffic Administration at Manchester on Monday. The drift of traffic from the railways had continued, there was severe competition within the industry and bad clearing houses were still in existence. The C licensees continued to hold the dominant position in the industry.
The value of the licensing system in sustaining the goodwill of the individual business was stressed by Mr. J. Backhouse who reviewed its advantages from the angles of the public, hauliers and the customers. Discussing the working of the plan. Mr. Backhouse agreed that thc tendency was for a closed shop to be created, a situation about which there were bound to be differences of opinion.
UP ON SUNDAY INCREASED fares for Aberdeen City 1 Transport were granted last week, with effect from Sunday.