Company Busmen Press Pay Claim
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FROM OUR INDUSTRIAL CORRESPONDENT ATHREE-POINT claim for higher pay and better conditions for 100.000 provincial company busmen was .submined at a meeting in London last week of the National Council for the Omnibus Industry. The meeting was adjourned to enable the employers to consider the unions' case and a reply will be given at a meeting to be fixed later.
A statement issued by the Council after the meeting said: " The trade unions presented their claims for a substantial increase in the rates of pay of all staff governed by the decisions of the Council, for a reduction of the normal working week to 40 hours without loss of pay, and for an incentive bonus scheme or schemes. based upon passenger traffic receipts and/or carrying capacity of the various types of public service vehicles, including one-man buses. The proceedings were adjourned to a date to be agreed to permit the employers' representatives to give consideration to the claims. The claims affect some 100.0(1() workpeople on the company side of the provincial bus industry."
Mr. Sam Henderson. national passenger group secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union, who presented the claim on behalf of the six unions. made it clear that it was largely inspired
hy the London busmen's agreement earlier this year when they won various increases averaging 38s. a week.
For a long time provincial busmen have been dissatisfied with the widening differentials between the pay of London bus crews and themselves. Under the latest agreement this has been extended to more than 30s a week between a company driver and the driver on 1.ondon Transport's country services, the lowest of the London rates.
One way in which they hope to narrow the gap is by the bonus schemes. Mr. Henderson suggested a bonus based on 3d. in the pound of receipts to be shared between the driver and conductor. Some of the London increases have been based on a similar bonus. Special payments for working larger and different types of buses were another feature which the provincial men would now like to copy.
On the claim for a reduction of hours from 42 to 40 a st eek, the unions argued that in many areas there was such an acute staff shortage that busmen were working as many as 60 hours a week.
.A reply to similar claims on behalf of 70.000 municipal busmen is expected to be given by their employers at a meeting due to be held in London on November 12.