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Fragile—with Care

31st August 1956, Page 29
31st August 1956
Page 29
Page 29, 31st August 1956 — Fragile—with Care
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

THE Minister of Transport : has not promised to raise the speed limit on heavy goods vehicles in the spring. Whether he does so or not will depend on the outcome of the negotiations now in progress between the Transport and General Workers' Union and the employers.

He has said that he will probably lay an Order for anincrease in the limit before the House of Commons after the summer recess. That Order will not prejudice the talks being conducted between the two sides, and will doubtless be allowed to lapse if they do not reach fulfilment.

The negotiations are the most difficult ever undertaken by any industry. They are without firm foundation, in that the employers cannot estimate the gain from any concession that they may be willing to give, or even its cost.

In normal bargaining over wages, the question is clear-cut. The cost of an increase can be calculated and set against known revenue. In the present case, no one can foresee the precise benefit of a higher speed limit, or the extra amount of wages to be found. There are too many imponderables, the greatest of which is probably the state of traffic congestion. Operators working on regular, defined routes may be able to make an approximation, but even their calculations may be disproved by experience.

A Subtle Difference The T.G.W.U. will naturally try to extract the best terms for their members. There is, however, a subtle distinction between a hard bargain and legalized blackmail, and the outcome of the negotiations depends on whether •the Union recognize the difference. As in normal negotiations over wages in road haulage, the workers' representatives hold the initiative, and the employers, although now united, are on the defensive.

Any settlement is likely to be of greater benefit to the workers than to most employers. The problem is to establish without rancour an agreement that will not be excessively expensive and will be simple to enforce. At the moment those two requirements appear to be somewhat contradictory.

The Union's demand that drivers should be paid extra for any time gained on a journey in excess of an average of 16.6 m.p.h. will, in many instances, involve payment by mileage. The objections to this basis are obvious. It is prejudicial to road safety and creates anomalies.

According to the workers' representatives, any increase in average speed above the 16.6 m.p.h., assumed to be that of a heavy vehicle not exceeding 20 m.p.h., requires extra effort and should be rewarded accordingly. This argument overlooks the fact that, generally, the higher the average speed the better the road conditions and, consequently, the lower the effort.

More Effort, Less Pay It is far more exhausting to drive slowly in heavy traffic than to cruise on an open road at a steady 30 m.p.h. Yet it is proposed that the man on a favourable route should be paid more than one on a busy road who is unable to improve to the same extent on the theoretical average of 16.6 m.p.h.

A simple example will emphasize the anomaly that would be created. Lime Street Station, Liverpool, and High Street Station, Swansea, are both 203 miles from Southall, London. At 16,6 m.p.h. the running time required to cover these two routes would be 121 hours. When a representative of The Commercial Motor drove an articulated sixwheeler of 19 tons gross over these two routes, maintaining 30 m.p.h. wherever possible, the running time from London to Liverpool was nine hours and from Swansea to London, 81 hours.

By this measure, an increase in the speed limit to 30 m.p.h. would enable 31hours to be saved on the London-Liverpool run and 31 hours from Swansea to London. Although drivers on the two routes would have covered identical mileages, one would according to the Union's demands, receive half-anhour more extra pay than the other.

This is only one of many complications which the employers' representatives must consider in dealing with the Union's claims. Their task is unenviable-and they merit patient support.


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