it, brother
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IN A heated exchange in fro of more than 600 delegat from transport manageme last week, Alan Law, a seni official of the Transport a General Workers Union, de] ed an allegation that he h called "all transport mana ment incompetent idiots".
Mr Law, regional trac group secretary for the TG1A in the Midlands, was under f during the closing stages his year's Commercial Motor 'leet Management Conferene in London.
The allegation referred to a ?..cent article in a RoSPA ublication.
He was challenged from the oor of the conference by an x-driver, now in managelent, who said: "I object, lost strongly, to Mr Law's weeping generalisations that ll of us in management are 'competent idiots.
"It is as bad for me to say all .ansport union officials are astards," he said, and added, quote Mr Law, in a recent oSPA publication that all of s are on the fiddle with our rivers' hours."
Mr Law responded swiftly y issuing his own challenge: "Show me where I say all tanagement are incompetent ljots, and I'll give you £50."
He then advised his attacker apologise, "or withdraw it,. r prove it, brother".
The statement was withrawn, but the speaker insisti that at least Mr Law had iferred that all transport ianagement was incompe At that, Mr Law retorted: ou implied it — cock." Earlier in the day, Mr Law ld his audience, in answer to question over tachographs, kat when they referred to the mboys of the industry, they ally meant "bogeymen".
"There's no cowboys nocking about, gentlemen ... oe're not bothered with cowDys where I come from Dnestly. It's a misnomer."
This was in direct opposition *hat TGWU general secreiry Jack Jones had said in his Dening address at the start of re Conference.
Mr Jones said: "The trouble ith road haulage is that it is )t only made up of good nployers, such as we have ?re today, but also the :owboys".
These "cut price, cut safety ilfits" gave the whole dustry a bad name. They so made it difficult to thieve good industrial relams.
Driving excessive hours, hen safety went by the board I meet impossible schedules, as the way cowboys worked. And Mr Jones added: "That is not the way to run the industry and I am sure you all agree that this type of operator must be removed from the industry."
Mr Law repeated, however, his main reason for not wanting tachos by saying: "No one has ever convinced me that they are necessary."
He was later asked by V. F. Goode, of General Motors, what he thought of the belief held by some that the legal system was weighted in favour of trade unions.
The reply was simple. "We lose more cases than we win it's a non-question."