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Interchange of duties a Liverpool 'bargain'?
Page 46
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from our industrial correspondent
• There are fresh hopes today (Friday) of a return to work at the end of the 11th week of the Liverpool bus strike.
National officials of two unions—the General and Municipal Workers Union and the Transport and General Workers' Union—are to address a mass meeting of the 3,400 strikers in Liverpool Boxing Stadium.
They hope that the publication last night of the Prices and Incomes Board report (see page 32) on the men's -frozen" 23s-a-week rises would provide a face-saving opportunity to call a halt to the unofficial stoppage.
Details of additional concessions by Liverpool Corporation will be put to the busmen.
A 10s-a-week bonus will be given where there is "virtually unconditional agreement" on the introduction of one-man single and double-deck buses.
And there are three alternative formulas of payment for a "reduction bonus" to be paid for trimming back bus services.
After an agreed period, probably six weeks, the Corporation and unions will look at revenue returns and reduction in mileage: assuming a cut-back of 10 per cent in revenue and 6m operating miles, the men will get an extra 5s 8d. To this would be added 55 8d a week for every additional 1 million miles saved, i.e. 8m miles saved gives another 11 is 4d; 9m miles gives 17s a week.
It is uncertain exactly how much operating mileage will be cut. The effects of the strike have to wear off; then normal wastage of the service will have its effect.
The discussions have also covered changes in working practices, reduction in starting times, faster schedules, and the possibility of busmen's "walk to workpicking up relief buses being counted in their own rest periods. Working schedules will probably be increased from 7 hours 5min to 7 hours 20min if these changes are accepted. The busmen will get another 3s 9d a week.
One further restrictive practice which has been bargained during the negotiations is "one man, one badge"—the principle that drivers cannot interchange duties with conductors. The Corporation hope to have this practice eliminated in the new agreement.
Busmen will get an additional weekly bonus of at least 15s 8d—possibly as much as 27s a week—from the strike negotiations.
TGWU and NUGMW officials were invited to talks last night at the Department of Employment and Productivity following publication of the PII3 report.
Mr. Albert Staples, national officer of the General and Municipal Workers, which represents about 90 per cent of the Liverpool strikers, was angrily preparing to make a protest to the Ministry that none of his union's officials had been asked to give evidence on the Liverpool agreement.
At the NUGMW annual conference in Bournemouth this week, it was revealed that the union had paid over £50,000 to the Liverpool strikers in "hardshipmoney. The union refused to grant official backing to the strike; but it paid the busmen £4 each a week.