One for union Scotland?
Page 22
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
I-GwwsciviU merger mootedfrom our industrial correspondent
• Following talks last week between officials of the Transport and General Workers' Union and the Scottish Commercial Motormen's Union a merger of the road haulage interests of the two unions in Scotland seems a strong possibility. Mr. Jack Jones, general secretary designate of the TGWU, and Mr. Raymond Macdonald, the union's regional secretary, met Mr. Alex Kitson, general secretary of the SCMU, and his executive committee at Rothesay last week during the Scottish TUC conference.
Further talks on matters of common interest, including closer unity, are to take place. Asked if these could lead to some form of amalgamation, Mr. Jones replied: "We are closer now than ever before." Mr. Kitson commented: "We have reached a fair region of agreement. The dour is open for amalgamation. These talks could eventually lead to merger ... amalgamation ... integration of transport trade unions."
The background to these significant discussions is interesting. The recent transport legislation brought the heads of the road transport and rail trade unions together on numerous occasions—collaboration will be called for for many years if the dynamic possibilities for growth in public sector freight and passenger transport are to be realized. The continuous pressure by the Trades Union Congress for mergers between unions with common interests is not likely to have been discouraged by Mrs. Barbara Castle and Mr. Richard Marsh, although Ministers are customarily circumspect in advising trade unions on such matters.
The TGWU and SCMU have enjoyed a reasonably friendly relationship for many years. There was some in-fighting in 1939/40 but since then friction has been minimized by the substantial consensus of outlook between the TGWU's region 7 and the officers and executive of SCMU. Such difficulties as have occurred, in Mr. Kitson's view, have generally been due to employers in the industry who have tried to play off one union against another.
Mr. Jones said last week that of the 60,000 commercial drivers in Scotland only about half were organized.
The TGWU has about 10,000 members. At the biennial conference of SCMU in 1967 SCMU's membership was 19,991. Clearly, a merging of the road transport interests of the two unions would transform the setting in Scotland, and—by inference —could encourage merger talks between other transport trade unions south of the Border.
Mr. Jackson Moore, general secretary of the Manchester-based United Road Transport Union, had not heard of the TGWU/SCMU talks when I spoke to him on Tuesday. He was "interested as an observer" but not at all interested in surrendering the sovereignty of his own organization. (It is an open secret that TGWU /URTU talks have taken place in the last year or two but a viable formula—which ought not to be too difficult to define—has so far escaped the officials concerned.) On the possibility of a merger between the TGWU and SCMU, Mr. Len Squire, national organizer for road transport workers in the TGWU, told CM: "I would welcome it and would be happy to work with Mr. Kitson."
Mr. Kitson told me on Tuesday that he would not necessarily remain as a full-time officer of a trade union. The possibility of a parliamentary career, I fancy, is attractive to him; certainly, as an MP he would offer much sage counsel on road transport affairs and could be expected to play some part, albiet indirectly, in the guidance of transport trade unions.
Mindful of the influence of Scottish Nationalism, Mr. Kitson would like to see established a regional (perhaps dubbed "national") joint council for road haulage in Scotland with separate sections for tanker operations, parcels, long distance. NFC and private sector. "The cut-throat competition now prevailing is no good for employers or men", he said. "A national council for all aspects of road haulage in Scotland would be helpful to all concerned."