COMPANY INQUIRY REPORT SOON
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From Our Indust-L.:al Correspondent THE Committee of Inquiry set up by I the Minister of Labour to probe the company bus dispute over pay and conditions is expected to issue its findings very shortly—possibly as early as next week. Before they completed their four days of hearings last week both sides referred to the Government's new income policy in relation to the claims. The findings of the committee will therefore he studied with special care to see how far independent tribunals are likely to be influenced by the new policy.
The question of the incomes policy was lirst raised by Mr. T. R. Will:arns, the eniployers' chief spokesman, who said that it fell to the committee to be the first to pronounce upon a major national wage claim since the Government While Paper on prices and incomes policy had been published. "Obviously the committee will weigh very carefully the wording of their report in relation to that policy," Mr. Williams commente From the union side. Mr. Sam Henderson suggested that she escape clauses in the White Paper. which laid down cases where pay increases beyond the general norm could be made. would be applicable to the busmen. But he added that this was only his personal opinion. The union would he co-operating with the Government and the employers in the
incomes policy.
Replying to the chairman of the court, Sir Roy Wilson Q.C., Mr. Henderson said he thought co-operation for greater elliciency would be forthcoming from the unions to help offset the cost of the wage rise. The provincial bus industry had got to make a breakthrough in pay and conditions. They could not go on hav■ng he same bad feeling developing between men and employers every year.
The union was receiving letters and telegrams from branches censuring them for alleged delay over the claim. " I never saw such an avalanche of protest as we have had over the past several weeks." Mr. Henderson said.
Earlier in the inquiry, Mr. Williams told the court that drivers worked an average of 52 hours 40 minutes a week, for wWch they were paid about £18. The basic rate of LII 3s. gave a wrong picture of the driver's pay packet, in view of the fact that the national average working week was about 48 hours. Figures from the companies represented at the inquiry showed that in the year ended September 30, 1964. drivers worked an average week of 52 hours 41 minutes and conductors 49 hours 57 minutes. But drivers spent only 40 hours 48 minutes of tIt!s time driving and conductors 38 hours 33 minutes. or 77 per cent in each case. doing their job
Mr. Williams said there were still some
attractions in the bus worker's life as compared with other industries. They met the public and in the country it was often customary for them to be personal friends of the passengers. The number of long-serv:ce employees among provincial busmen was impressive.
Mr. Williams asked the committee to consider various restrictive practices in. the bus industry. These included insistence against carrying standing passengers or refusal to carry the maximum legal number of standing passengers, various kinds of resistance to one-man operation of buses and resistance to speeding up services.
Cheap Off-peak Fares OFF-PEAK fares on eight Green Line coach routes are to be cut as much as 30 per cent in a new experiment announced by London Transport. The cheap travel experiment will start on April 26, and will apply on the following sections of route:—
709 Chesham-Trafalgar Square.
710 Amersharn-Trafalgar Square.
711 High Wycombe-Trafalgar Square.
712 and 713 Luton or Donstabie-Victoria, 714 Luton-Hyde Park Corner.
715 and 7L5A Hertford-Marble Arch.
Special cheap day return tickets will be issued after 09.30 on Mondays to Fridays only from 50 different out-of-town points on the above routes, all north or north-west of London and more than 10 tntes from the central area. Cheap tickets will also be issued for journeys in the opposite direction.