Peace-keeping in the West
Page 27
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• The success of pay and productivity guidelines issued in the Western area last year by the RHA, after agreement with the trade unions, in helping to avoid industrial unrest on the scale experienced elsewhere, is mentioned by Mr J. F. Cox in his annual report to the Association's Western area, of which he is secretary. Mr Cox said the RHA locally had assisted a number of operators to reach agreements for higher payments to employees, while in the Bridgwater area last year 10 members had reached a combined agreement. It was a matter of regret that workers had later alleged that the union representatives had not conveyed the full terms of the agreement to their members, so that individual workers were now saying that certain provisions were unknown to them and did not apply.
Detailing the efforts put into successful negotiation of local quarry rates and steel rates, Mr Cox stressed that the area office could not conduct all rates negotiations, and that every member must do his own costing and then, if necessary, make determined approaches to his customers, no matter who they might be, with the necessary proof in his hand, if he wished to remain viable in these difficult days. Neglect of such action could, and was, leading to insolvency; there was no merit in waiting for others to take the initiative, hoping that advantages gained by them would somehow rub off on to everyone else.
Referring to the new vehicle booking scheme at Bristol docks, the secretary said that continuation of the scheme depended on reliable arrival of vehicles, and he feared that quite a number of times each week there were failures to achieve this.