Vacancies stay vacant
Page 11
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THE National Bus Company in North-west England came under fire in the House of Lords last week when Labour transport spokesman Lord Underhill asked why are there no vacancies for conductors, and just a few for drivers when other bus undertakings were seeking staff. Had it something to do with unsocial hours, he asked.
Baroness Trumpington, however, disagreed. She had reliable information that there were many vacancies for bus conductors and drivers in the north-west, but despite high unemployment people were unwilling to take such jobs, which involved them in unsocial hours.
For the Government, the Earl of Avon said he recalled that the recently published annual report of a National Bus Company subsidiary in the north-west said that the year saw an end to staff shortages in most areas and a low level of labour turnover.
Lord Underhill said that a phone call to NBC revealed that there were no vacancies for conductors in three subsidiaries — Cumberland, Ribble and Crosville.