The Bus Team in Committee
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P. A. C. BROCKINGTON, A.M.I.Mech.E.
IT has been said of factory workers, that there are no bad ones, but that some ate better than others and that all can be adequate if given the right training. It is no disparagement to say of some men and women, who attempt and fail to become competent members of a bus team, that they are not adequate for the job. They cannot get on with the general public and that's that According to Mr. L. H. Youngs.
ivl .I. I'Vlech.E.. M.Inst.T., stall manager 'of the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., good bus drivers, conductors and conductresses are born and not made. In their view, the general public is a constant source of interest, providing psychological problems that call for diplomacy, equanimity and tact. The public is a challenge to patience and good temper which the team accepts--or looks for another job with more regular hours and weekends off.
The Arbitrator
A conductor or conductress, with the active support of the.driver, must use initiative in meeting tricky, and sometimes even alarming, situations. People are not always reasonable. Sometimes they are suffering from a grievance; sometimes they decide that they can run the bus company and insist on making their views known; they may be vociferously vexed that they weren't seen running for the bus yesterday morning; or one section thinks the other should be made to walk hotne. The bus team must endeavour to master a public-relations policy which is proof against emergency and is adaptable to the psychology of both the casual visitor and the "regular."
In the Midland " Red" company, some employees in the operative grade have been with the concern for over 40 years and nearly 300 started 25 or more years ago, when the total number employed was only about three times that figure. To-day there is a total of over 5,500 in this grade at the 29 operating centres, and more are wanted. The fleet is growing, More passengers are being carried each year, and the frequency of services is increasing. The staff problem cannot be solved by offering " attractions " or palliatives.
The working day of an operative is directly based on the day-to-day public need, and the job is attractive to the extent of the operative's own efficiency, which is in part dependent upon the opportunities to examine his problems in the light of local and, if necessary, managerial opinion. Realizing this, the management has, in collaboration with the Transport and General Workers' Union, set up a committee system which covers all the 29 operating centres, and which gives representatives of the drivers and conductors the chance to resolve many of their local problems at garage level.
Failing agreement, the matter is discussed at divisional level, and finally, if necessary, at the head office. in Birmingham. As shown by the chart, two suggestion schemes and -a bus-design scheme are also included, in one or more of which the operatives, the garage maintenance staff, the supervisory staff and the works staff take part
Garage Committees
The garage committees are empowered to discuss all day-to-day garage problems. One of the principal matters giving rise to discussions is the working-duty schedule, but any domestic subject may ibe reviewed. The traffic and engineering superintendents hold the local meetings, which are arranged whenever they are required by the employees or by the management. Minutes are prepared and signed by both sides, so that there may be a record of the decisions reached.
Local problems are normally settled at such meetings, but if failure to agree necessitates a meeting at divisional level (held by the divisional traffic superintendent and the divisional engineer), the discus sion is confined to the proposals previously tabled. A permanent official of the Transport and General Workers' Union may attend such meetings in a purely advisory capacity. Agreed minutes are again prepared.
At the final head-office meeting with the staff and traffic managers, a permanent official of the Union may he in attendance, and may act as an advocate and present the employees' case. All the committee members are usually in attendance, although this is not insisted upon.
Democracy at Work
These committees deal only with matters affecting the garage repre sented. Any questions relating to the interests of employees generally or the working of the system as a whole, such as general questions of payment or working conditions, are referred to the T. and G.W.U. executive committee, which consists of four representatives (drivers, conductors or conductresses) elected by the employees from any of the garages included in the system. The quarterly meetings with the Union executive co mmit te e, at which agenda from both sides are considered, are held by the general manager, with the deputy general manager, the staff and traffic managers and the chief engineer in attendance. Such meetings are also attended by the union district organizer.
The bus design scheme was inaugurated in September, 1949, when design committees were set up. These comprised eight representatives from the operative grades, selected by the union from four different areas, 14 representatives chosen by the company from the ranks of the traffic inspectors and garage superintendents (a group of traffic-minded people), and a similar group of 12 engineering people" selected from engineering supervisors and the garage maintenance staff.
Help with Design Meetings were held with each of the groups, the members of which were asked to express opinions on design from their own particular angle. A mass of suggestions was collected relating to the design of future double-deck and single-deck buses with the object of introducing improvements to meet the requirements of the operating stall, the maintenance staff and of passengers. As a result, a number of basic modifications was introduced in the designs of the prototypes. Meetings of these design committees are not held at specific intervals, but are called when new vehicle developments are to be considered.
Examples of design work in which the groups played a useful part at the first series of meetings included alterations to the cabins (to improve controls and the driver's comfort), to lighting and ventilation systems, to floor coverings, luggage accommodation and to destination blind gear. Improved methods of engine mounting, clutch lubrication, radiator water-tube assembly and fuel-tank dipstick handling were also introduced in this way.
There are also two suggestion schemes, one for the operating and garage-maintenance staff and another for the skilled maintenance and production staff employed in Birmingham. The first scheme is for employees at the garages. Boxes are provided in which the suggestions are posted and the contents are considered at head office. Such matters as ticket difficulties, bus equipment, uniform s, terminal arrangements, routes, maintenance, and so on, are usual, but any idea is welcomed, even if investigation shows that it is impracticable.
The committee at Bearwood, which considers the suggestions, comprises the deputy general manager as chairman, the traffic and staff managers, and the chief engineer. Monetary awards are made for practical suggestions, the amount varying according to the value of the suggestion.
The second suggestion scheme, which has been operating for 10 years or so, is for the Bearwood
works staff. The letters containing the suggestions are collected from boxes and are considered by a committee comprising the chief engineer and other members of the technical staff. These suggestions generally concern the use, or design, of tools to increase efficiency in the workshops, but many relate to such matters as chassis accessibility or to general workshop procedure. Monetary awards are also granted in this case, whenever a suggestion is considered to be a good one, even though it may not ultimately be adopted The pattern to which these committee meetings and suggestion schemes are arranged indicates the practical application of the prin ciple of decentralizing the garages, and of encouraging the employee's personal interest in settling local problems whilst maintaining a live contact between the operative grades and the management. Another important point is that all grades be given the opportunity to combine their efforts whenever a subject is reviewed which is not exclusively the concern of one class of employee.
The vagaries of the bus job (and of the general public) being what they are, the committees' problems must be tackled in a happy atmosphere. The old hands have had years of practice in the art of keeping a sense of humour, and to them it comes quite naturally. This attitude enables the first stages in improving the company's service to be conducted with smoothness and mutual confidence.