Now union threatens guerilla strikes against hauliers
Page 28
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
BY JOHN DARKER THREATS of guerilla strikes against selected road haulage employers to encourage early pay negotiations are made by the Scottish Commercial Motormen's Union in the April issue of Highway, the union's journal. Mr. Alex Kitson, general secretary, has written to the secretary of the workers' side of the Road Haulage Wages Council saying there is trouble ahead unless the negotiations get moving—pay freeze, or no pay freeze.
Road haulage employers hoping for a constructive approach from the trade union side to productivity matters as the time approaches for a new round of wage bargaining are likely to be disappointed, if the attitude of the militant Scottish drivers union is typical.
Mr. Kitson, in the journal, says the union wants "a complete reappraisal of the wages structure in the industry before we start talking about productivity".
He argues that it is absurd that men driving vehicles worth up to £15,000 and carrying loads possibly worth more than £30,000 are. still paid on a basic pay of less than £13 a week, before deductions.
Disillusionment with the National• Negotiating Committee is also stressed. The union has now left the NNC in protest at the failure of the employers side to persuade J. and A. Smith of Maddiston Ltd., to operate the NNC's conciliation agreement.
Although the SCMU is prepared to support the fitting of tachographs on all vehicles provided this is backed by legislation, with an accompanying cut in the maximum driving hours, the union has refused to agree to the fitting of a tachograph on a Scottish Brewers test lorry for work study purposes.
Longbridge losses
The Longbridge Group of delivery agents were expected to decide this week whether to defy a Government ruling prohibiting a pay increase to its transporter drivers.
The refusal of the drivers to bring imported cars on return loads to Birmingham since the freeze order was imposed five weeks ago has involved "crippling losses" said Mr. R. J. Carrington, chairman of the group, on Monday.
Mr. Carrington said the Group's spokesmen met Mr. Lee at the Department of Economic Affairs nearly three weeks ago. A letter last week from LAGDA asking what should be done had merely been formally acknowledged. He thought it was time the Government had made up their mind about this.
"We consider the drivers' action to be lawbreaking. But no action has been taken, so why should we abide by the law ourselves? We are being penalized for observing the law."
loTA CONFERENCE
PAPERS on transport policy in relation to regional development—by MoT assistant regional development division secretary, Mr. C. N. Tebay—and on the Institute's examination scheme—by Mr. H. N. Putnam, chairman of the education committee—will be read at the Institute of Traffic Administration conference at the Strathmore Hotel, East Promenade, Morecambe, from May 19 to 21.