ANOTHER LINER TRAIN REBUFF FOR BRB
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From a Special Correspondent
A SSUMPTIONS in some quarters that
the liner trains dispute was virtually over when, a week or two ago, the National Union of Railwaymen's negotiating committee recommended trial acceptance of British Railways' proposals, were shown this week to be overoptimistic when the union's national executive rejected all of its committee's recommendations. There are now signs that the liner trains problem will not be solved in isolation from union claims for more pay and shorter hours for their members.
Once more the principal stumbling block proved to be the use of the liner train depots by private hauliers—which 3RB has consistently maintained is essential to the economic success of the services.
The NUR negotiating committee had recommended (by a majority) that the terminals should be open to private hauliers for a 12-month experiment, but with a joint NUR/BRB review of working within the first three months. It had also suggested alternatively that there should be a three-month trial with the depots closed to private hauliers and worked only by BR cartage vehicles, but this, too, was rejected by the executive.
The Minister of Transport earlier this year gave his approval to the start of liner train working, with or without union agreement, and it still seems likely that the railways may introduce a pilot service between Glasgow and London later this year, whether or not they can come to terms with the NUR.