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BUSMEN'S WAGE "FREEZE": COMPANY CLAIM SUBMITTED
Page 56
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BY A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT .
AFRIGID reception was accorded the long-delayed claim for a " substantial" increase in pay _for 90,000 employees' of company bus undertakings which was submitted early this week to the National Council of the Omnibus Industry by the Transport and General Workers' Union.
Judging by events of the past few days, the claim will be rejected out of hand, and it is difficult to see how the Union's latest demand can be strong enough successfully to withstand arbitration proceedings.
On Monday, the London Transport Executive refused the Union's demand for an extra £1 a week for London's 53,000 bus workers. A claim for an increase of 18s. a week for the workers in municipal undertakings was last week flatly rejected by the employers' side of the National Joint Industrial Council for the industry, and the dispute was referred to the Industrial Disputes Tribunal.
Bus operators have obviously reached the end of their tether. Each pay rise in the past few years has been followed by higher fares, but passenger resistance is now so strong that a further increase in charges would place the industry in a serious position. The employers have begun the pay "freeze "; it is significant that the initiative has been taken by the municipal employers, whose peculiar position has made them an easy target in the past.
The London Transport negotiators told the Union representatives on Monday that their claim could not be met because of the financial dilemma in which they were now placed because of the Government campaign for a standstill in .pay and prices. The Union spokesmen argued that the cost of living had risen since the last increase nearly a year ago.
After nearly a full day, the talks were adjourned "to allow consideration to be given to the further submissions of the parties.'" The reference to the Industrial Disputes Tribunal of the municipal workers' claim was the culmination of a five-hour meeting at the Ministry of Labour in London. At one stage, both sides of the N.J.I.C. had bmsuecessful talks with conciliation officers.
KIDNER DECISION RESERVED
DECISION was reserved last week by the industrial Disputes Tribunal in the case brought against T. and J. Kidner, Ltd., Brampton, Beccles, by the National Joint Industrial Council for the toad haulage industry. The question was whether the company should honour an agreement by the N.J.I.C. for increased pay for haulage workers from February 21 last year.
It is understood that Kiclner's representative, who spoke for 31 hours, strongly resisted the council's claim, The competence of the N.J.I.C. to recommend an increase in pay in an industry in which wages are controlled by statute is believed to have been questioned.
New Private-hire Law in Force Soon
THE contract-carriage provisions of the Road Traffic Act, 1956, would come into force shortly, Sir Gilmour Jenkins, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, announced on Monday. Be was deputizing for the Minister of Transport at the annual dinner of the Passenger Vehicle Operators Association.
Speaking of rural services, he said that the Ministry was producing a little book explaining what rural communities could do to help themselves in matters of transport. It was to be published soon, and he hoped that it would relieve pressure on the operators' of unremunerative bus services.
Sir Gilmour made several playful references to the good relations between the Ministry and the Association. They are thought to have referred to a recent disagreement between the two parties.
Mr. A. E. Brewer presided, DISAPPOINTMENT OVER FEWER SHOW VISITO_RS ROME exhibitors, particularly mannLel facturers of accessories and garage equipment in the gallery at Earls Court, were expressing disappointment early this week about the decline in public interest in the Commercial Motor Show, compared with the 1954, exhibition. Although the ground floor seemed reasonably popular with visitors, few found • their way upstairs, except on Saturday.
On the opening day, last Friday, there were 4,231 visitors, compared with 6,766 two years ago, on Saturday 16,428 (19,486) anon Monday 9,535 (13,718). Blame for the drop was variously attributed to the Suez crisis, the credit squeeze, the warm weather and "a lack of new models.'
Takings at the turnstiles were higher this year than in 1954, because the price of admission is greater.
1,000 BEDFORDS FOR CD.
PAA FURTHER 1,000 Bedford fourwheel-drive chassis have been ordered for Civil Defence needs from Vauxhall Motors, Ltd., by the Ministry of Supply. Fire-appliance bodywork will be built by a number of companies to Home Office design, During the past four years, over 34000 Bedfords have been delivered: to the Ministry.