Official Strike Powers for Company Busmen Soon ?
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FROM OUR INDUSTRIAL CORRESPONDENT
NO RADICAL CHANGES
NO radical changes from the picture of road passenger transport as we know it today were forecast for the year A.D. 2000 by speakers at an informal discussion held by the Automobile Division of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in London on Monday. Standee buses might be operated in the inner area of central London and other large cities; luxury coaches would operate express services from outer suburbs into the heart of cities along new motorways; ticket machines would be fitted with cornputer tapes to record all transactions; and electronic tickets, designed for the Underground automatic fare collection system, would also be used on buses.
By A.D. 2000 the wisdom of having entrance and exit doors on both sides of passenger vehicles operating in congested city centres might also have been realized.
The predictions regarding standee buses and so on were made by Mr, F. J. Lloyd, operating manager, London Transport (central buses) who forecast that by A.D. 2000 the long cross-London bus routes operated by two-man doubledeckers would have been replaced by a compromise system in which standee oneman single-deckers catered for all shortdistance traffic within the inner area of central London, while large doubledeckers with their much higher standard of passenger comfort operated the longer services between suburbs and centre, and also cross-suburban services.
Standee buses would also provide feeder services between railheads and other interchange points throughout the London area. A flat fare would be charged on all standee buses, but differential fares would still be charged on double-decker bus services, though Mr. Lloyd hoped the system would be simpler than the present one.
Mr. Hubert Perring, chief engineer, Ministry of Transport, felt that there was a conflict in size where buses were concerned. The trend to larger buses led to them being too widely spaced on offpeak services. With greater automation in factories he felt that the recruiting position for bus crews would have so improved by A.D. 2000 that there would be more vehicles of different sizes to suit individual requirements.
It was Mr. Perring who again stressed the advantages of doors on both sides.
A note of caution was sounded by Mr. Gresham Cooke, who pointed out that the journey from Cambridge to Central London 35 years ago was by train to Liverpool Street and No. 11 bus. Today the journey was exactly the same—except that 35 years ago, in the days of free enterprise competition, one could also catch a coach every hour, which was more than could be said of today!
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THE national executive of the Transport and General Workers' Union, which is due to hold its quarterly meeting in London next week, is expected to consider whether to give "plenary powers" to its company busmen. If it does, this will give the busmen's leaders authority to call an official strike, impose a ban on overtime or take any other action in pursuit of their claim. The executives of the five other unions which make up the workers' side of the N.C.O.I. will also consider the position. But the decision of the T.G.W.U., which represents a majority of busmen, will be the most important.
Reference to the executives is the latest move in the pay dispute following another breakdown in direct talks with the employers. When the National Council met last week hopes were high that there would be a quick settlement. It was thought that following the agreement on the municipal men's claim with a pay rise of 15s. a week suggested by the arbitration court, the way would be open for a similar settlement.
The employers made two alternative offers to the unions. The first was for an increase on basic rates of 15s. a week to platform staff operating services "of a municipal nature" and of 9s. 6d, a week to platform staff operating rural and other services. The second was for an increase of us, a week to all platform staff, irrespective of the type of operation.
In addition the employers' representatives said they would be prepared to consider in committee the other four points in the unions' claim—the establishment of a 40-hour week, an incentive bonus scheme based on takings and/or carrying capacity of vehicles, a sick pay scheme and an extra £2 a week holiday pay for skilled maintenance workers.
In putting forward their proposals the employers stated that the claims were equivalent to a pay increase of over 16 per cent and would cost the industry nearly £15,000,000 a year. Even the settlement on the basic wages, claim would mean a substantial increase in fares throughout the country. If the company busmen received 15s. a week, in line with the municipal crews, it would cost the industry "something over £6,000,000 a year ".
The unions rejected the offers. Mr. Sam Henderson, national passenger group secretary of the T.G.W.U. and the unions' spokesman, said they could not accept less than the 15s. for bus crews and 13s. 6d. for maintenance men awarded to the municipal busmen.
The , breakdown of the talks was reported to the Minister of Labour, Mr. Ray Gunter, whose conciliation officers tried last month to bring the two sides together. It is understood that they do not intend to intervene for the moment. But they will be ready to act if a request should come from either side.
The most hopeful sign is that for the first time at last week's meeting the employers expressed a willingness to refer the dispute to arbitration. Up to then they had maintained that this would serve no useful purpose. Independent arbitration may, therefore, be chosen as the way .out of the deadlock, unless it is decided to have a final try to get agreement by direct negotiation.
An early settlement is clearly desirable, since news of the failure of the talks has caused a further increase in guerilla strikes by company busmen up and down the country. A number of areas have now had four Saturdays without buses— a hardship not only to passengers but to shopkeepers whose sales have suffered as a result of the strikes. Midland Red, in particular, was among the worst hit, with all its garages shut down.
The reluctance of the company employers to accede to a claim as large as that of the municipal men can be traced partly to the reduced productivity being experienced in the industry. On a basis of the number of tickets issued per company conductor over a year, 1964 shows a 6-7 per cent decrease compared with 1960 and the employers maintain that this trend is continuing.
Also, the difference between hours of employment and actual productive work is exemplified by company drivers spending an average of 40 hr. 48 min. at the wheel for every 52 hr. 40 min. " worked " —in other words, 22+ per cent idle time. For company conductors the percentage is almost identical.
On the 40-hour-week claim, the employers feel strongly that transport— which cannot " produce " the same, or more, in less time, like some industries who have cut weekly hours—should be among the last fields to accede.
Also, there is a big difference in intensity of work between municipal and company operations; in the year ended March 31, 1964, it is said that passengers per mile averaged 9-01 for the municipalities and 4.62 for the companies. Each company conductor in the same period issued 120,000 tickets—while his municipal counterpart issued 190,000.
North Shields Bus Depot: Tynemouth Corporation has approved plans for a bus depot at Northumberland Street, North Shields, for the Priory Coach Motor Co. Ltd. Shoppers' Bus Service Decision Deferred: A decision on an application by East Midlands Motor Services Ltd. and Trent Motor Traction Co. Ltd. to operate a bus service between Nottingham and Chesterfield for the benefit of shoppers has been deferred by the Yorkshire and East Midland Traffic Commissioners. Representatives of more than 50 housewives had urged that there was a need for such buses.