Inter-union battle brews
Page 6
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INTER-UNION strife seems likely at next week's conference of the Labour Party at Blackpool. Both road and rail unions are calling for an "integrated" transport policy from the Government, but each side has a different view on the subject.
The Transport and General Workers' Union does not see eye to eye on the National Union of Railwaymen's policy for transport put forward for discussion at the conference (see page 2). It thinks railway lines turned into lorry routes would be a better solution and has tabled an amendment to an NUR resolution which asks for the road traffic to be discouraged and for a fiveor 10-year investment programme in British Rail.
The TGWU amendment calls for further investment in road and waterways and for freight traffic policy to be integrated. In addition, the TGWU wants a system of designated lorry routes augmented by the conversion of disused railway lines.
The effect of the NUR resolution, if passed without amendment, would be to halt the reduction of investment in the railways and, by taking direct action to discourage road transport, to have freight traffic diverted to the railways.