London Busmen About Face on Colour Bar Issue
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From our Iniustrial Correspondent
LONDON busmen changed their minds .1-4 last week on the question of introducing a colour bar and saved their union and the London Transport Executive from an embarrassing position. At a meeting last month of the Central Road Services Committee of the Transport and General Workers' Union, which was attended by delegates from 80 inner London bus garages, a resolution opposing the " influx of immigrants to this country and their employment in London Transport" was narrowly carried by two votes. Since the terms of the resolution were against union policy, it was excluded from the official minutes of the conference. But the matter was raised again last week. This time, Mr. Wally Hurford. who represented Upton Park garage, moved a resolution declaring against any form of discrimination on the grounds of religion, race or sex. There was a heated debate before the resolution was decisively carried by 65 votes to 14 with two abstentions. Only three delegates spoke against and they disclaimed colour prejudice. But they did say that they thought coloured people who had been living "on peanuts" thought they were very well off on a conductor's fl 1 6s. a week. They. therefore. acted as a brake on the campaign for higher wages. Altogether London Transport employ some 1.200 coloured men and women out of a total labour force of 37,000.