Bathgate men refuse to sign document
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
NEITHER the shop stewards at Leyland's Bathgate plant nor the Scottish Council (Development and Industry) seem ready to accept the necessity for the company to pull out of Scotland.
Last week Leyland's md, Les Wharton, met the Bathgate shop stewards at a private meeting. Later it was revealed that proposals to sell "packages" of the Bathgate plant to other industrialists carried a proviso. Agreement with prospective buyers cannot be reached unless the Bathgate worldorce stop opposing Leyland's withdrawal.
Jimmy Swan, the Bathgate shop steward convenor, said that they had refused to sign a document giving up their right to oppose Leyland's plans. Two companies — Stewart Melrose of Bathgate and MarshaIls of Gainsborough — are actively interested in parts of the site. No other potential buyers were mentioned at the meeting.
The shop stewards say they cannot trust "a company that has broken every promise it has made." Leyland was not commenting publicly after the meeting.
It could happen that Leyland may have to abandon its plans for a phased closure and shut down Bathgate before the end of the year.
In the meantime, Hamish Morrison, chief executive of the Scottish Council, was expressing views about Leyland's future as a chassis manufacturer. He is reported to have expressed the fear that Leyland's commercial vehicle activity throughout the UK could collapse. This would be either a de liberate strategy or caused through ineffective marketing, according to the Scottish Council.
The executive committee of the council is asking Leyland for an immediate top level meeting. They intend to demand a copy of Leyland's corporate plan. "We would like to be specifically reassured of Leyland's corn mittment to vehicle manufacture in Britain," said Mr Morrison. He added that the company's explanation of the Bathgate closure was unconvincing.
The council maintains that chassis manufacture should be maintained at Bathgate "preferably by Leyland but failing that by a joint venture." It believes if the company adopted the same aggresive marketing strategy to c v sales as it had to Jaguar, then the day could be saved. They will not impede the sale of parts of the plant to buyers who want to use the assembly lines for vehicle production.
Stewart Melrose refurbishes second-hand cv's and compo nents. Marshalls build agricultural tractor equipment.
Until the shop stewards sign Leyland's document, the parties will be deadlocked.