• Home
• Used vehicles
• Product news
• Dealer news
• Compliance
• Buying advice
• Archive

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244

T.U.C. Demand End of Disposal: Bad Working Conditions Alleged

Zoom page

6th May 1955

Page 72

Page 72, 6th May 1955 — T.U.C. Demand End of Disposal: Bad Working Conditions Alleged

Close

Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Please select an option... Headline has errors Article text has errors Article is incomplete Submit

THE Trades Union Congress have asked the Minister of Transport • I to halt the disposal of the assets of British Road Services. They claim that drivers' working conditions have been made worse.

This announcement follows the publication, last Friday, of the Labour Party's election manifesto, in which they pledged themselves to _ renationalize road haulage.

A statement issued this week by the T.U.C. said:—

B.R.S. Depot and 59 Lorries Sold

IVIOXLEY depot of British Road kV' Services, including 53 lorries (226 tons) and six spares, has been sold to T. J. Richardson and Sons, Ltd., 100 Dudley Road East, Oldbury. It was offered for sale in list S.4.

Based in Holyhead Road. the depot comprises offices, a workshop and garage, and parking facilities. There are 30 four-wheelers, 10 six-wheelers, six eight-wheelers and seven articulated vehicles.

Trunk services to Lancashire and Merseyside are at present run from the depot.

Mr. T. J. Richardson has bought vehicles from B.R.S. in the past, but most of them have been made over to other hauliers.

[Details of many other purchases of transport units are given on pages 505-506.1 R.11.(54) IN FORCE ON MONDAY

AS from next MOnday (May 9), the increase in wages for haulage workers recommended in February by the National Joint Industrial Council will become a statutory condition.

Under R.H.(54), an increase of !Os. a week is payable to adults, with proportional advances for juniors, and the extra rate for night work (9 p.m.-6 a.m.) is raised from 6d. to 8d. The additional rates for juniors are 5s. under the age of 18 years and 7s. 6d. between the ages of 18 and 21. .

100 TROLLEYBUSES WANTED TENDERS for the supply of up to 1 100 three-axied trolleybus chassis are required by the City of Johannesburg. The chassis should be suitable for either double-decker 71-passenger bodies 30 ft. long by 8 ft. wide, or 105-passenger bodies 33 ft 6 in. long by 8 ft. wide. Tenders should reach the town clerk of Johannesburg at the municipal offices by July 7.

[Johannesburg's transport operations are described on pages 467-470.1 LEVY IMO A LORRY

UP to last week, 14,251 vehicles had been sold by British Road Services. Mr. Boyd-Carpenter, Minister of

Transport, announced. The amount of levy paid up to the end of March was £7,677,000—an average of at least £540 per vehicle sold, (222 " A factor that strengthens the T.U.C.'s demand is the slow rate of selling back road haulage businesses— a rate which is likely to become even slower. Already the continuing uncertainty has had a had effect on the morale and operating efficiency of British Road Services.

If sales are not stopped, the detachment of small numbers of vehicles as buyers are found for them will mean a continuing disruption of the B.R.S. general haulage network and a recurrent dislocation of the flow of goods to industrial and commercial users. The nation cannot afford this.

"The provisions of the Transport Act, 1953, governing the sale of road haulage to private hauliers have had a fair trial. When the Bill was before Parliament the then Minister of Transport said that disposal should be completed by the end of 1953.

" If this was, as the Minister later admitted, rather optimistic, the fixing of December 31, 1954, as the date for the removal of the 25-mile limit would appear to indicate that the Government expected an end to disposal by that date. They claimed then that the permission to operate outside the 25-mile limit given by a special 'A' licence was one of the advantages which the purchaser of road haulage would obtain.

"Slow Progress" They should now recognise that the attempt to sell B.R.S. assets to private interests has been a failure. The slow progress in disposing of road haulage is shown in' the rate of sales. By March .11, 1955, only 13,482 vehicles had been sold out of more than 32.000 available under the 1953 Act. Moreover, in recent months sales have only been made by offering units consisting of small numbers of vehicles without premises. The average size of the units sold so far is only—three vehicles.

"Those road haulage workers who have gone back to private firms have found their working conditions worsened. Numerous reports have referred to the evasion by private hauliers of the law relating to drivers' hours of work."

£3nr. ORDERS FOR COMETS

QRDERS to the value of nearly Om. for Comet vehicles have been placed with Leyland Motors. Ltd., during the first four months of the year. Twothirds of these vehicles are for export, with India, South Africa and. Spain heading the order list.