Councils Ignore Licensing Ruling
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THE Afro-Caribbean organization in Birmingham has briefed an Indian lawyer to protest to the West Midland Licensing Authority against the action of the Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Walsall transport undertakings in turning back their buses at the West Bromwich boundary last Saturday despite the Authority's refusal to grant them a dispensation to do so.
The undertakings, which run joint services with West Bromwich, turned back their buses at the boundary because of an unofficial strike of West Bromwich busmen over the employment of an Indian trainee (The Commercial Motor last week). The men have threatened a series of Saturday strikes, against union advice, until the corporation agree not to employ coloured workers.
The office of the Licensing Authority would not comment on the situation when approached on Monday.
The Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., were the only operators to run buses into West Bromwich on Saturday. The company last week rejected a request by the Transport and General Workers' Union not to run their services into the towa if the strike took place.
Wolverhampton Transport Department is to ease its staff problem by re-introducing coloured labour on its buses.
At special meetings on Tuesday, the transport committees of Wolverhampton and Walsall decided to run their buses into West Bromwich on Saturday.
When The Commercial Motor closed for press on Wednesday, Birmingham Transport Committee were due again to seek the Licensing Authority's peernission to turn back their buses at the West Bromwich boundary in the event of the strike being repeated tomorrow.
Action Deprecated Stating that he did not know what action his committee would take if the application., were refused, Ald. H. Watton, chairman of Birmingham Transport Committee went on: "The committee would again emphasize that this decision [referring to last Saturday] is in no way in support of the action by the bus workers at West Bromwich, and hose action in this matter is unanimously deprecated by the transport committee."
A further meeting of the cormnittee was to be held when the Authority's decision was given.
The executive of West Bromwich Trades Council on Tuesday demanded that the Saturday strikes should cease. It was stated that if they did not do sd, branch 5/11 of the Transport and General Workers' Union might be expelled from the Council.