"Union Not Satisfied" —Mr. Cousins
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FRESH impetus was given this week to the claims for higher pay for more than 200,000 of Britain's busmen which have been hanging fire lately.
It came from Mr. Frank Cousins, General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union, who had a twohour meeting on Tuesday with Mr. A. B. B. Valentine, Chairman of London Transport, about the twice-rejected claim submitted on behalf of 39,000 London busmen, writes our Industrial Correspondent.
This claim is the pace-setter for two similar claims on behalf of 100,000 company busmen and 77,000 municipal busmen in the provinces.
Although nothing conclusive came out of the talks—in fact they could be called negative from the remarks made by Mr. Cousins after the meeting—they do point to a more hopeful turn in the negotiations.
They coincide with the Government's announcement of the end of the pay pause at the end of March, and an easing of the rigid attitude towards claims with the "guiding light" of 2+ per cent. (or 6d. in the £) the new criterion in settling pay demands.
A statement issued after the meeting said that the purpose of the talks had been to explore the possibility of resuming negotiations and that the union would now give consideration to the views expressed. Mr. Cousins said that he told Mr. Valentine that the union were not satisfied with London Transport's "negative replies."
He had not been there to negotiate but to express concern about the situation. The result of the talks will be discussed by the union, said Mr. Cousins: they would consider whether it was worth resuming negotiations.
Though this sounds pessimistic the chances are that negotiations will soon be resumed on the claim.