Strike Threat to Bread Distribution
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FROM OUR INDUSTRIAL CORRESPONDENT 1101 EFUSAL this week of the pay claim
for an extra it a week for 75.000 bread distribution workers led to plans for one-day guerilla strikes by one of the unions involved, the United Road Transport Union. Earlier, the leaders of the men involved, who include TGWU and USDAW members, had decided to go ahead with their pay claim, Their decision was announced after a meeting with Mr. Brown to discuss the bread and flour report of the Prices Board.
Mr. Brown, who had earlier extracted a promise of a three months' standstill on bread prices from the big bakery Firms, clearly hoped to get a similar assurance on wages from the unions, particularly as one of the reasons why the bakers wanted to put the price of bread up by another penny was the know ledge of the new pay claims. He refrained, however, from making any formal request to the unions to withdraw their claims and, though disappointed, can claim that he was not snubbed.
There was better cheer for him on one of the main recommendations of the report—the setting up of national negotiating machinery for distributive workers. There appears every likelihood that employers and unions will co-operate in setting this op.
The claim of the distributive unions is modest, compared with that for 32.000 bakery workers. This asks for a pay rise of 0 10s. a week.