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Ban on union's free bus
Page 16
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• A High Court injunction has this week barred National Welsh bus crews in the Rhondda valley from operating a free bus service.
Members of the General and Municipal Workers' Union at National Welsh's Perth depot began hiring buses from National Welsh after local independent operator Clayton Jones started a 30-minute service on the Maerdy to Pontypridd route on 14 March.
The union-sponsored vehicles had special stickers on them saying "sample me — I'm free", and ran 15 minutes be hind those of Clayton Jones. Union branch secretary Gwyn Jones stressed only local branch funds were used to pay for the buses. The union was aiming to protect jobs.
National Welsh was due to start a 30-minute service, 777, around the same time that Clayton Jones introduced its new run, but could not begin until Wednesday, 30 March. National Welsh already runs a 20-minute service between Maerdy and Pontypridd.
National Welsh operating manager lain Moncrief stressed that the union had acted inde pendently in hiring the buses: "We like competition, but in this case we were only the contractor, acting under instructions from our customer."
According to Jones, the South Wales Traffic Office had raised an objection to National Welsh buses being used on a free service, but it had allowed the free service when the union switched to hiring the vehicles from Crosville.
Clayton Jones, however, objected to the union's free service competition and took the case to the High Court to set a precedent on such issues.