Who will crack first in BRS dispute?
Page 18
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by John Darker
• There was some hope that the dispute involving 18 BRS midlands depots could be resolved this week — but only on terms which the management would find humiliating.
One of the affected depots, Hereford, resumed normal working on Tuesday, but it is understood that its traffic is not primarily related to the car industry. The Mitcheldean (Forest of Dean) branch worked all through the dispute — suggesting that the fringe areas were less influenced by militancy.
I understand that driver representatives at four of the key branches handling car components — Swindon, Oxford, Castle Bromwich and Bromford Lane, Birmingham — have made an informal suggestion to BRS management at Oxford that normal working will be resumed on the basis of a formula hammered out at Stratford upon Avon last Friday, if the drivers are paid for the period of the strike.
The Stratford meeting, lasting eight hours, was devoted to the consideration of a hurried review of bonus arrangements at a Birmingham depot undertaken by management in the hope that its conclusions could be applied in all the 18 Midlands branches. Management demonstrated that more effective working by drivers under the existing productivity scheme could yield amounts varying from £0.77 to £4.87. These extra earnings, it is understood, could be paid without conflicting with the Phase 1 clampdown.
The restrictive practices objected to by management related to average speeds and loading times. It appears that drivers averaging 30 mph have been compelled to come down to 28mph at union insistence.
Meanwhile a £2.50 pay rise for drivers employed by Whites removals and Transport Ltd of Birmingham has been frozen by the Department of Employment. The pay increase had been agreed to following industrial action by drivers in January.
Offer to purchase
Commercial vehicle specialists and hauliers Richardsons of Oldbury have written to Mr Kenneth Cook, Midlands BRS managing director, offering to purchase all tin 1100 goods vehicles and trailers and all the freehold road transport depots which are currently at a standstill because of the drivers' dispute.
Mr Cook confirmed with CM that he had received two letters from Richardsons, on February 13 and 19, and he added that there was no intention of disposing of any part of the company's assets.