Unions applaud buy-out
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THE PLANS for the National Freight Company buy-out took the world by surprise last Thursday, not least in the House of Commons where the Transport Secretary described the plan as "imaginative and exciting."
details were days before public. Mr Fowler was first told of the plan about six weeks ago, soon after a senior management conference at NFC's Bedford headquarters gave it their enthusiastic seal of approval, and the in his hands ten they were made details were days before public.
The swiftness of the announcement took the wind out of the Opposition's sails, with Shadow Transport Minister Albert Booth complaining that "another efficient, well-managed, and profitable public service was being sold to the private sector."
But the trades unions, which were first informed of the plans last Thursday, have reacted enthusiastically to the outline proposals.
United Road Transport Union general secretary Jackson Moore confessed that he was "amazed, but delighted" by the plan when CM spoke to him, and said he would be happy to encourage his members to invest in NFC.
He was particularly pleased that this scheme had been announced before a public flotation of NFC, as the Company might fall into the hands of asset strippers which would develop only the best parts of the business.
Transport Salaried Staffs Association deputy general secretary Bert Lyons said he wanted to see the consortium's prospectus before reaching a final decision to put to members, but he said he found it an interesting and imaginative proposition ir outline.
And he echoed Mr Moore's welcome of rescue from the jaws of asset strippers, saying "In the present setting, the salE of shares might not happen ever in 1982, then there would be possibility of the Governmen being hell-bent on getting rid o it to the private sector, even i that meant auctioning off part of it."
The Transport and Genera Workers Union, which repre sents the greatest proportion d NFC blue-collar workers, wa preoccupied with its annual cor ference this week, but deput general secretary Alex Kitson i dicated .that the consortium plans represented the best wa of selling the company's share especially as it guaranteed i remaining intact.