Peace hopes rise in Brum
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dispute by CM reporter HOPES of an early end to the II-week-old dispute at the Birmingham Containerbase (CM, October 3), rose this week. As we closed for press, Mr Eric Sharrock, general manager at the base, said that he hoped for a satisfactory outcome to talks with the Transport and General Workers Union.
But any end to the dispute will not be soon enough to save ai least two haulage contractors who have been forced to go out o' business. In each case, all their vehicles have been locked ir the base, Since management and union reached agreement on th( original spark which ignited the dispute—whether or not freigh handlers should be searchec after work—the argument hoc been about pay for the 70 met who were on strike. Accordini to Mr Sharrock "the disput( is about pilferage, ncithini else." Mr Alan Law of th( TGWU on the other hand claims that the managemen had admitted that the striki was all its fault—a poin vehemently denied by Con tainerbase.
The dispute has trapped total of 51 vehicles, worth per haps £1/2m, belonging to 2 haulage contractors. More thai 300 containers with 6,000 ton of goods have been held up to and the Containerbase itsel has lost E120,000.
When I visited the base las Friday (see "Fear is the key in News Extra, page 22) found that the base entranc had been blocked by tw vehicles. In •the first weeks c the dispute, an " invisible picket line had been deeme adequate but, more than month ago, after an irat haulier had crashed his wa out, the two trucks wer mysteriously moved int position. Pedestrian access ha not been impeded and th Containerbase offices have bee ully staffed.
After the Containerbase enranee was blocked, the corn'any served writs on vehicle wners alleging that their units krere causing an obstruction. M counsel's advice these have ot been proceeded with, howver. According to Mr Sharock, almost all the operators rvolved had expressed support or his stand against union Tessure for strike pay for its iembers—the issue on which he dispute had been stalelated until this week.
The company which seems to ave lost most from the disute is Beeches Road Transort Ltd, whose entire fleet has
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en locked in. As a result the Ym p an y has been put into quidation. Its owner, a Mr hepherd, was this week in outharhpton seeking new Fork. During my inquiries in) the dispute I was told of owner-driver — and a GWU member to boot — hose vehicle had also been nocently trapped. The vehicle as being paid for on hire xrchase from its operating venue. Despite appeals by the iver to Mr Law the vehicle is apparently remained trapd. Mr Law this week declined to discuss this and other issues with CM.
My visit to Birmingham showed that reports I had been given about vehicles being damaged and hauliers' offices in the base being broken into were unfounded. One vehicle in the gateway, together with one or two others elsewhere, had flat tyres but there was no sign of other damage. One vehicle I saw, however, which was parked on private land near the base entrance, was minus its front wheels.
Lost Traffic
Losses at the base are not new; it has lost £326,000 since it opened in 1968. Fears that it might never re-open had been growing until this week's more hopeful signs. However, as Mr Sharrock had to admit, traffic has been switched without apparent difficulty to other ports around the country. Whether all of it will return to Birmingham must surely be in some doubt.
Ironically, ad hoc staff searches have been carried out at other Containerbases for years without trouble. As they say in Brum: "We're different here."