Union Wants £2 More for London Men
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FROM OUR INDUSTRIAL CORRESPONDENT MEW union demands for a pay rise of
N just under £2 a week for London bus drivers in addition to the 15s. received under the interim pay settlement just before Christmas were put to the Phelps Brown Committee of Inquiry into the pay and conditions of London busmen when they met this week. Mr. Sam Henderson, T.G.W.U. national passenger group secretary, told the committee that a " realistic " rate for central London bus drivers would be £15 7s. a week. With rostered earnings it would bring the bus driver's pay packet up to £17 16s. This, he said, would meet the requirements for the innnediate period ahead.
For central London conductors he proposed a basic rate of £14 17s. a week—an increase of £2 4s. 6d. on the present pay. The aim here is to reduce the differential between drivers and conductors to 10s. a week—the same as applied until the recent settlement when it was increased to 15s. a week.
Other pay rates proposed by the union, with the present rates in brackets: country bus drivers £14 13s. 6d. (£12 10s.); country bus conductors £14 3s. 6d. (£11 17s. 6d); single-deck coach drivers £ l5 3s. 6d. (£13 2s.); and single-deck coach conductors £14 3s. 6d. (£11 17s. 6d.),
Mr. Harry Nicholas, the union's assistant general secretary, complained that London Transport had put to the committee matters which had never been
the subject of negotiations with the union. He instanced the wages offer put before the committee and the pension and sick pay schemes. He said much had been made in the Press of the way in which, it was alleged, the unions had prevented various efficient methods being introduced by London Transport. Some of the proposals had been discussed and some had been introduced. " It is perfectly true that there have been difficulties in connection with the appropriate payments that should be made in connection with eeriain types of buses ", Mr. Nicholas added. He said there had been agreements in some connections and breakdowns on others.
At other times they had found that it had been suggested that they would agree to certain new types. of buses. But the suggestion had been met with other questions and they had found themselves in the position of either accepting several things as a " package deal" or not being able to accept any one particular item.
Mr. Nicholas did not go into detail of the T.G.W.U. 's attitude to the proposals for increasing efficiency put to the committee by the London Transport Board. They were expected to do so at a later meeting when it was believed they would accept the proposal for new types of buses provided that satisfactory agreements could be negotiated for the men and women working them.