• Wage-grading Hitch from Scotland
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DEADLOCK, regarding the grading of Scotland by the Wages Board, has led to a threat of drastic action, involving more than 3.000 members of The Transport and General Workers Union. Mr. John Veitch, area secretary of the Union, has stated that there has been failure to agree on any rate for long-distance and trunk services, or on any of the grades.
The employers, he has said, contended that long-distance and trunk services should not enter into the agreement at all, claimed that the number of wage grades should be reduced to two, as sufficient for Scotland, and suggested the old Scottish Conciliation Board rate as applicable to Grade 1.
Transport and General Workers Union representatives, who asked for the long-distance and trunk-service rates and the three grades outlined in the Central Wages Board recommendations, refused to consider the employers' proposals and suggested reference back of the whole position to the Central Wages Board. Representatives of the Scottish Horse and Motormen's Association said they would he content if Glasgow and surrounding districts were made Grade 1, if the industrial belt lying in the line between Airdrishaig, Banchory and Inverness in the north, to a line from Girvan to Dunbar in the south, were made Grade 2, and the rest of Scotland' Grade 3,
At a meeting of Union representatives, four members of the T.G.W.U. had voted for inclusion of Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen in Grade 1, and four members of the S.H. and M.A. for the inclusion of Glasgow and district, only, in Grade 1. Two members of the Association declined to vote.
At the next meeting with the employers, the Association representatives said their executive had agreed to grading as proposed by them, and if the employers agreed to longdistance and trunk services being recognized and Glasgow being included in Grade 1, they were prepared to vote for it. They put the proposals to the employers, who asked for time to consider. them. T.G.W.U. representatives, in a minority of four to eight, left the meeting.
Mr. Veitch said the whole circumstances had been explained to the Dundee members, who passed a resolution condemning the action of the S.H. and M.A. representatives in agreeing that Glasgow should be regraded as Grade 1, Edinburgh and Leith, Dundee and Aberdeen as Grade 2, and important towns in the north and south as Grade 3, at a time when the question of wage-rates applicable to theit grades had been referred back to the Central Board because of the failure of the Scottish Area Board to agree on these important clauses.
The meeting Called on the workers' side of the Central Wages Board to refuse to recognize this grading and to insist that all towns included in the grading previously agreed to by the Scottish Area Wages Board be included in Grade 1.