BRS White Collar Staff Restive Over Pay
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From a Special Correspondent ONSIDERABLE resentment by white collar staffs of BRS may he anticied following the blunt rejection of on proposals for a revision of the try structure at a special meeting of National Joint Negotiating Council week.
n addition to substantial increases in sting salary rates. the unions concerned :IWU and TSSA) attach equal importto their revised salary structure as. A higher maximum is sought for general clerical grades (Class 4) and Inderstand the unions would wish to algamate classes 2 and 3 and the her grade classes Special A and B, Alting in a total of four classes as inst the present six.
he unions have stressed that the uction of classes they propose for BRS has already been accepted by Associated Humber Lines, British Waterways and British Transport Docks, and they cannot understand why the more profitable BRS company should " stall " on this relatively simple transition.
The white collar workers of BRS. it is argued, have made great efforts to co-operate fully with the management during and since the reorganization programme. but recent moves, notably the hiving off of the ailing Meat Haulage company, have exacerbated a tense situation. Affected Meat Haulage staffs at Liverpool, I am told, are particularly disgruntled, and only this week over 30 clerks at BRS Midlands depots struck in support of a salary review.
My information is that in the past 18 months no fewer than 800 white collar staff have left the BRS superannuation fund, not counting leavers who were not members of the fund. The ageing BRS staff does not augur well for the future of the organization.
The trade union side at last week's meeting requested an adjournment at which it was decided to seek a meeting with Sir Philip Waller, chairman of the Transport Holding Company, in order to draw his attention to the unions views on salary structure and "to the general deterioration in industrial relations between the BRS management and the unions representing the salaried staff ".
Not content with this, the unions decided to inform the management of BRS that the union side " reserved the right to refer the problem to the Ministers of Labour and Transport ".
I understand that Sir Philip Warier has asked Sir Reginald Wilson to discuss the situation with the trade unions concerned. If there is no satisfactory outcome it seems clear that the matter will be raised at an even higher level.
There is no doubt at all that the unions are gravely disappointed with the situation that obtains in their relations With BRS management under a Labour Government. One union view expressed forcibly is that the real nigger in the woodpile is the BRS Federation. According to this view the BRS management would deal realistically with the staff side claims but that the Federation are being difficult. The unions are also not unmindful of the possible consequences should a Conservative Government decide to dispose of a profitable BRS company. such as Pickfords, in an imitation of the recent Meat Haulage company disposal.
Lower Licence Rates THE Ministry of Transport reminds 1 vehicle users that the Finance Act. 1965, which became law on August 5. makes certain reductions in the rates of vehicle licence duties announced in the Chancellor's Budget (see The Commercial Motor, July 2 and 161. The classes of vehicles affected are: (a) all showmen's haulage and goods vehicles and their trailers; (h) the lighter (up to and including 4 tons unladen weight) farmers' goods vehicles: and (c) all other goods vehicles (including farmers') up to If tons unladen weight inclusive used to draw
These changes become effective on September 1 for all licences taken out on or after that date. Applications made during August for licences starting September 1 will be accepted at the new (lower) rate,