Wages council vind-up scare
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ULIERS are "scared to death" that they will be left enceless against trade union "brute force" if the Road alage Wages Council is wound up and not replaced by a ional negotiating body.
'his point was hammered home to Mr J. E. Mortimer, iirman of the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service, delegates at the Road Haulage Association's annual iference (see also pages 21 to 24).
4r Mortimer stirred up the .net's nest of questions en he dropped some broad ts about the inquiry being d by ACAS into the Wages uncil.
lounding the Council's ith-knell he said that the st significant fact fact to erge from the inquiry was way in which collective .gaining was being deveed in the industry.
7here were now 14 regional 'eements between assent. haulier groups and the ions. This established a lespread pattern.
The general view is that in are these regional agreents will be extended and /eloped. This is the trend. 'When you see the report will see we have discussed :ional negotiating machint. I can't say what the :ommendations are, but we ye taken account of the nds."
vir Mortimer was quickly t in no doubt that this ;ional agreement trend did t meet with approval.
Vlr E. B. R. Smith, of C. W. dge (Felixstowe) Ltd, said: le are scared to death that se local agreements will be allowed to proceed in a situation where free collective bargaining takes place.
"This happened two years ago when the Scottish agreement was imposed by brute force. Such a thing could happen again and again.
"We are dead against area agreements without a strong national negotiating body to provide back-up."
And Mr John Silbermann, RHA vice-chairman, said that the majority of assenting hauliers had not voluntarily joined the groups. "It's that or confrontation."
He warned that there was a flurry of union activity at present to force the setting-up of as many assenting haulier groups as possible. "They are trying to pre-empt your findings," he told the ACAS chairman.
Mr Mortimer got the message. "I take the point that you believe assenting haulier groups are not characteristic of the industry and that you want a national negotiating body.
"I am grateful for that message. Perhaps I have learned more from you today than you have from me."