Change of heart ends Kelvin war
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• The bitter six-week strike at Lanarkshire-based Kelvin Central is over. A mass meeting called by union leaders of the 760 striking drives voted for a return to work on the basis of the offer rejected only days before.
Management had proposed the reinstatement of three of the four shop stewards whose dismissals sparked off the dispute, plus a revised work roster to be phased in over five weeks. When it was turned down last week, company managing director David McCracken immediately withdrew it and vowed to battle on. "We will not meet with the Transport and General Workers Union again," he said.
TGWU Scottish trade group secretary Archie Wilson was equally adamant, confirming that the union and four sacked shop stewards had recommended the deal, but adding: "Our members will not accept anything less than the four men back. The management has said it will not, under any circumstances, reinstate Andy Baird. We have a stalemate situation."
However, the fact that McCracken did not carry out his threat to sack strikers who failed to turn up for work by his mid-May deadline — and none of them did — suggested that further negotiation might be possible. It seems that McCracken decided it was worth giving a negotiated settlement one more try. It is certain that the immediate loss of nearly 800 staff would have devastated the company. "We still have 400 loyal employees doing the best they can and we do not want to risk their jobs," he said.
McCracken warned last week that he would take the TGWU to court. "We are losing around 200,000 a week and will be asking for £250,000 damages from the TGWU through the courts," he said then. "We understand this is the limit for any one claim."
The union has pledged to appeal against any such claim and has enlisted five local MPs to ask Scottish secretary Malcolm Rifkind to find in its favour.
"We are delighted that passengers now have a service again," says a company spokesman. "It's too early to say what will happen. The important thing is that the staff are back at work and the strike is over."
Voyage goes to Hull
• Voyage National, the exNBC operator based at Lille in France, has been bought by Hull City Transport. Voyage went into receivership at the end of last year when its previous owner, Eastern National of Chelmsford, decided to sever the European connection.