Union Reject London Bus Pay Award
Page 32
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THE pay award of 8s. 6d. a week recommended by the Industrial Court for Central London bus crews has been rejected by the Transport and General Workers' Union. A special delegate conference of the Union will be held next week to decide on the next move, The London Transport Executive agreed to the award, which would cost them £1m. a year, but after a three-hour meeting with Union leaders on Monday no agreement was reached. L.T.E. representatives told the Union team that they would institute the wage rise if the Union would accept it as well. However, the Union said they were not satisfied, because country bus and coach crews had not been included in the award, nor had maintenance workers. To this, the L.T.E. replied that they would not consider increasing the 8s. 6d. offer, or extending it to the other grades. The L.T.E. said they would cover the £1m. a year by cutting services, and not by increasing fares. This followed a statement by Mr. Harold Watkinson, Minister of Transport, that if the award were implemented the extra money must come from economies and increased efficiency. He would not permit fares to be raised. "We have pledged ourselves to defeat inflation and we intend to succeed," he said. "I made it plain to London Transport some time ago that 1 could not in any way support or defend further general increases in fares." The Government were not prepared to cover further increases in the British Transport Commission's deficit caused by higher costs.