Higher Pay Claims for Bus Workers Submitted: Extra £16m. a Year
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HIGHER pay claims for the 100,000 employees of provincial bus companies, as well as for the 55,000 bus workers employed by the London Transport Executive, have now been submitted by the Transport and General Workers' Union. If granted in full, the claims, together with that submitted to municipal undertakings (The Commercial Motor, August 19) would cost an estimated i16m. a year.
The claim affecting bus workers in the provinces is understood to have been submitted towards the end of last week. That concerning London's busmen, which is the only one in which the amount of the claim, at £1 5s. a week, has been disclosed, coincided with proposals made on Saturday by the L.T.E. to improve bus workers' conditions.
The L.T.E., who are concerned at the growing shortage of platform staff, which now amounts to some 3,300, have proposed, " in order to recruit and retain drivers and conductors," that the standard 44-hour week now worked in six days should be altered to enable staff to have more rest days.
They have also proposed that the basic rates of pay, and the additional rate payable for rest-day working, should be reviewed.
If the L.T.E.'s suggestions are agreed by the Union, the present 12-day fortnight, plus two rest days, will probably become either an 11-day fortnight (three rest days) or a 17-day three-week period (four rest days).
In order to provide for revised agreements covering the proposals, the L.T.E. have suggested that notice should be given to terminate the existing agreements on rates of pay and conditions of service of drivers and conductors.
Following a suggestion by the L.T.E. that early arrangements should be made for a meeting, representatives of the Union met London Transport officials on Wednesday. It is understood that the pay claim was also discussed. The National Joint Industrial Council for the road passenger transport industry meet today to consider the claim affecting municipal employees. No figure has been revealed, but the Union are understood to be seeking an increase of from 11 5s. to 10s. a week.
A similar figure is also probably involved in the clgim concerning employees of provincial bus companies. It is understood that no date has yet been fixed to discuss this claim.
"BANKS KNOW GOVT. VIEW"
BANKS will, no doubt, take account of the known attitude of the Government towards the disposal of the assets of British Road Services, although the decision whether to lend to a particular applicant is one which the banks alone can take.
This statement was made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the National Conference of Road Transport Clearing Houses, in reply to a question whether the Chancellor's recent move to restrict credit would affect the financing by the banks of purchases of B.R.S. assets.