LINER TRAINS DISPUTE MAY BE RESOLVED
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FROM OUR INDUSTRIAL CORRESPONDENT
I N spite of the railwaymen's hostility, as expressed at the annual conference of the National Union of Railwaymen at Paign ton (The Commercial Motor, last week), to allowing private road hauliers to use the proposed liner train depots, hopes are rising that an amicable settlement will shortly be worked out between Dr. Beeching and the. union.
Behind-the-scenes contacts between members of the British Railways Board and top union leaders have resulted in a movement on the most sensitive point as far as the union is concerned—the effect of the proposal on the employment of the railways' own road cartage staff. Much of the union opposition has been based on the fear that many of the 30,000 men employed on this work would be made redundant if private hauliers were allowed in.
It is believed that under Dr. Beeching's last proposal there is to be a two-year guarantee against redundancy for the cartage staff if, in return, the union drops its opposition to allowing in private hauliers. This represents a big step forward and 'there is a good chance that it will win over enough members of the
N.U.R. executive to enable Dr. Beeching to go ahead with the first phase of the £100m. liner train project early nexfyear.
The test is expected to come next week when the executive meets to discuss this next move. But the outcome is by no means a foregone conclusion. Some of the union leaders are in favour of putting off a decision until after the General Election, when, they hope, a Labour Government will solve the dilemma for them
The guarantee against redundancy is a comparatively small price for Dr. Beeching to pay for getting union co-operation. He has always maintained that without access for the private road hauliers the liner trains would be nothing like as profitable, many of the proposed links would have to be abandoned as not worth while and it might be necessary to abandon the whole project.
By guaranteeing the cartage staff their jobs they may have to keep on a number of men surplus to requirements. But with a heavy turnover of staff and a large proportion of elderly men due for early retirement, natural wastage should soon put the position right again.