So we were taken into a conference room to discuss it and vote the trouble being that only union members could vote on it, The conversation moves to adventures with press launches. The result has been the opposition of senior stewards to the toolmakers' strike earlier this year, and the fiascos of the April 20 strike against the Social Contract and the Longbridge strike vote in August 1977. This introduction is being written on 30 November 2011, the day we saw 2.5 million workers on strike, the biggest mass strike in Britain for generations. British Leyland's Truck and Tractor Plant, Bathgate, 1980. Mr John Share, Personnel Manager, said the company was satisfied that Mr Yates had allowed men to sleep on a night shift and had allowed clocking offences in which he had taken part. Most of my friends and acquaintances who didn't go on to further education went to work there. Underinvestment and a lack of new models had resulted in BLs car market share falling dramatically. Mr Alan Walters, a Supervisor, said he had seen another man come from the office carrying a Land Rover seat capable of being used as a bed. A firebrand union leader and former British Leyland worker has died aged 90. Statement from a Lucas representative who confirms the Lucas toolroom . Sell Your Car On Honest John Classics For Free. In this occasional series Ian Nichollsrevisits some of these stories, using the newspaper articles of the time as the main source of information. Only three men, none of them Mr Yates, had gone to the clocking point before 6.45 am, the end of the shift. Robinson was not reinstated. Mr John Share, personnel manager, said the company was satisfied that Mr Yates had allowed men to sleep on a night shift and had allowed clocking offences in which he had taken part. Manage Settings Mr Richard Smith, Chairman of the Industrial Tribunal, said he had told, one cock and bull story after another, to explain away events taking place at dawn on 14 June 1979 at the Rover works, Solihull. A combination of poor steel and corrosion, so Lancia werent entirely to blame. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Duration: 0:05:15. . Over 50,000 workers across British Leyland immediately came out on strike, including the 20,000 workers at Longbridge in . Mr Yates, of Coplow Close, Balsall Common, Warwickshire, claims that he was unfairly dismissed. If you want to see the true horrors of 1970s workplaces, have a look at the ship building industry. Doubling up as it was known-working extra fast so you could bunk off-wasnt confined to BL either. Created www.austin-rover.co.uk in 2001 and built it up to become the world's foremost reference source for all things BMC, Leyland and Rover Group, before renaming it AROnline in 2007. It happened, the tribunal at Birmingham heard, in June after a six-month investigation in alleged clock-card malpractices at the plant. Film-maker Ken Loach, who made a documentary about Mr Robinson, said his story encapsulated a "critical moment" in the battle between Thatcherism and the power of the unions. They had begun a policy of non-cooperation following the managements moves to stop workers leaving before the shift was completed. "There were big strikes across British Leyland, but union leaders instructed them to go back to work," Mr Loach believes. But the car giant had been hit hard by post-war economic struggles and had developed a reputation for producing low-quality cars. But instead of supporting him, the workers who gathered that February day turned on him. How many CEOs could you describe in those terms today? Zafer went to Stokes memorial service: People stood up and said some great things about him: told the truth. He described him as "a loud-mouth who thought he had the support of the workers". This support saved brands such as Jaguar, Land Rover and Mini from . Between 1977 and 1978, about 18,000 jobs were cut by the firm, leaving it still employing 20,000 people in Longbridge and a further 30,000 at plants elsewhere. . Exterior view of British Leyland Strandard Triumph works entrance and gatehouse at Canley, Coventry . Keith Adams Youll find that spending time reading Ian Nicholls excellent set of stories about, Clive Goldthorp THE real significance of Honda Motor Company Limited (Honda) President and CEO Takeo, THE GUARDIAN Production should be back to normal today at two Midlands car plants where, British Motor Holdings the joining of BMC and Jaguar. Six hundred workers had been laid off indefinitely because of a shortage of suspension units caused by a work to rule by 150 workers at the transmission plant at Drews Lane. History will show that Derek was unfairly maligned by the media as he aimed to find solutions to British Leylands industrial disputes and turn around the car company., Derek Robinson, trade union leader, born 1927, died 31 October 2017, Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. However, someone should have really gone at Lyons (head of Jag) and put him firmly in his place. Opinion : Derek Robinson: Victim or villain? British Motor Holdings merged with the Leyland Motor Company to form the British Leyland Motor Corporation on January 17, 1968. Tributes have been paid to former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson, who has died, aged 90. But taking a bed to work was a deliberate act of anticipation.. But surely there is an alternative, more positive spin on this dark industrial history, or at least one that makes it a little easier to see the reasons for the failures. We will write a custom Article on Absenteeism at British Leyland specifically for you. He was the main spokesman for the British Leyland combine committee which united about 40 different plants around the country, for most of the 1970s. Ideal business/holiday rental Perfect for families, friends and work colleagues (a pet friendly home) The cottage is an attractive Grade ll listed property recently totally refurbished to a high standard maintaining its character and charm, an unusual build with Venetian type windows and a . However, the wife of one of the dismissed workers, Mrs Ray Pennell, of Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham, said the management knew of the practice and had asked men to double-load the conveyors if production fell behind. Not really, its just moved from BL to the NHS. A survey by a Superintendent at Oxford Exhausts, a factory making most of BLs exhaust systems and petrol tanks, found employees, dozing in various parts of the factory.. Sounds very like British Leyland at the start of the seventies, four out of ten new cars were British Leyland and imports were still rare, if slowly gaining ground, and a few customers werent happy about the quality of the new Maxi. A little later, through a window, he saw two men, naked from the waist up. Enter your username or email to reset your password. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. The size, militancy and determination felt on the pickets, demos and rallies show that the sleeping giant, the British working class, has stirred. The tribunal at Birmingham heard that the events took place in June 1979, not November as previously assumed, after a six-month investigation into alleged clock-card malpractices at the Solihull plant. Leyland Dozers Sacked. Five minutes afterwards Mr Yates came out. 2023 BBC. Williams Lyons. How to value your classic for insurance purposes, Classics insurance for 17,18,19 & 20 year olds, Insurance when your classic isn't roadworthy, It's FREE to list your car on Honest John Classics, BL seals pact for Japanese to produce first car in Britain, Sleeping foreman loses dismissal case against BL, Mr Scargill pledges his support for BL convener, Car Reviews: Read the latest reports from our experts. Often this meant DJs talked too much to keep within the restrictions, which annoyed listeners, until finally in 1987 needletime was axed. He was accessible to all, cogent and a listener! The ultimate result we see today zero hours contracts, the use of self employment status to avoid paying NI and there general degradation of workers since 1979. One night him and his mate who were on the maintenance nightshift went to sleep in the cupboards. 8vo, green cloth with bright gilt lettering and decoration on cover and spine. The ADO15 MINI IS LAUNCHED TODAY Some extracts from the Times description of the new, NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY NEWS; Jaguar Is Planning To Cut Production AP Published: Thursday, February, Production of British Leylands new Morris Marina was at a standstill last night following a, British Motor Holdings the joining of BMC and Jaguar, Opinion : Celebrating 40 years of the Austin Maestro, The cars : Austin Maestro (LC10) development story, The cars : Land Rover Freelander (CB40) development story, Opinion : Austin Maestro a tale of unfulfilled promise, Opinion : Why unrest plagued the Maestros launch, The cars : Vauxhall Cavalier Mk3 development story, eBay Find of the Week : Rover 45 with less than 2k miles on the clock, Archive : Jaguar Is Planning To Cut Production, Archive : Strike by 80 halts Marina output. A company statement on the Superintendents discovery, said they had all completed their work quota. It employed 200,000 people and was the fifth largest . In this article DAVE LYDDON analyses the forces at work in British Leyland. Only three men, none of them Mr Yates, had gone to the clocking point before 6.45 am, the end of the shift. 1970 Ferrari 512M track test Group 5 great driven at Paul Ricard, Driving the legendary Bentley 3 Litre and Bentley 4 Litre. Seven years ago Tony Cliff wrote, 'The aim of the . "His legacy ought to be that you've got to fight," said Mr Loach. Only British Rail and its curly-edged sandwiches ranked lower in the publics estimation. Could he please have three large boxes of Cuban cigars instead?, Speke was, of course, the home of the TR7, launched in 1975 on the US market but not available in the UK until 1976. Mr Robinson . "We all worked like hell to make it work" Inside British Leyland. Judge for yourself. We are looking for a Children's Residential Support Worker to join an outstanding Children's Home. British Leyland would once again become a privately-owned company and the size of the state sector would be reduced. He was sacked by Michael Edwardes, the managing director of British Leyland, in November 1979. International Socialism, April 1977. Indeed it almost looks like Corsas, Combos and Vectras had a salmon pink colour option! That kind of thing went on a lot in the 70s. The tabloid paid the equivalent of 75,000 to buy letters which not only . Odd we never ever had a BL product..Incidentally Ive never ever seen a red SD1 before.. Did they suffer from the Renault red effect? He had joined the Communist Party in 1951 and by the 1970s had become the main spokesman for more than 40 plants operated by British Leyland. In 1981 BL entered into a joint venture with Honda Motor Company, Ltd., of Japan to produce Japanese-designed Triumph Acclaims in the United Kingdom. Thatcher provided British Leyland with 2.9 billion pounds ($4.4 billion) of taxpayer money from 1979 to 1988, Rhys said. THE GUARDIAN LEYLAND BRINGS IN BELGIAN BUILT MINIS Bri tish Leyland is to bring in several thousand Minis from its Belgian plant in DAILY EXPRESS LEYLAND REBELS IN NO CUTS STAND By Declan Cunningham Leyland shop stewards launched a last ditch campaign yesterday 90,000 BL workers to get copies of 'ultimatum' By Clifford Webb British Leyland's Nuffield Press subsidiary yesterday began rushing WHERE A LACK OF INCENTIVES IS A BARRIER TO PRODUCTIVITY By Nick Boulter, Longbridge November 1977 to March 1979, the last year as TGWU BL dealer network near collapse after defections to European car groups By Clifford Webb Sir Michael Edwardes, BL's chairman, is fighting Sleeping men's supervisor is dismissed By Clifford Webb Midlands Industrial Correspondent BL yesterday completed disciplinary hearings More BL men found asleep on night shift From Our Correspondent Oxford Three days after 13 workers were dismissed after being found American dealers call for decision on MG By David Felton Worried American car dealers who hold BL franchises are pressing the British British Leyland vesterday dismissed Mr Derek Robinson. I dont think we realised what halcyon days we were living through at the time., AT THE TIME, BRITISH LEYLAND HAD THE BIGGEST ADVERTISING BUDGET IN THE UK, AS PEARSON RECALLS: LORD STOKES WAS COGENT, ACCESSIBLE TO ALL AND A LISTENER!. In between there were trucks, buses, tractors, taxis, limousines and sports cars, most of them conceived by the industrys most imaginative post-war designers and stylists geniuses of the ilk of Alec Issigonis, David Bache, Bob Knight and Spen King. The company remained a ward of the state for 13 years. On 10 January 1980 night-shift workers were given a wake-up warning by British Leyland management. They made BL look like rank amateurs. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Dubbed Red Robbo by the press, the Communist Party memberrepresented workers in car manufacturing during the pre-Thatcher era, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. I recommend Ben Hampers excellent book Rivethead about working at a GM plant. (10 seconds outside of a garage in hot sun and the paint would fade and turn into something resembling 1000 grit sandpaper..?). A firebrand union leader and former British Leyland worker has died aged 90. I can't think of anyone who . Enter your username or email to reset your password. He will give evidence today. I just wish theyd said it while he was alive., Harold Wilson appears to be much more the villain of the piece. Mr Alan Walters, a supervisor, said he had seen another man come from the office carrying a Land-Rover seat capable of being used as a bed. Had a nice blue pearlescent paint that never matched properly, sold it with the bodged paintwork at a loss. Following his dismissal, Mr Robinson worked as a tutor in trade union studies during the 1980s and 1990s, teaching shop stewards. After two days of disciplinary hearings and . RME11T1N - Feb. 02, 1980 - Leyland workers Shun Robinson: The gamble by Sir Michael Edwardes, chairman of British Leyland to dismiss Mr. Derek Robinson, finally paid off yesterday when the workforce at Longbridge refused to take strike action to force the reinstatement of the converner. Good condition, owner's inscription on flyleaf. When, a few years later, he was chosen to run Leyland Special Tuning, he brought the wing into profit a rare beast in the money-haemorrhaging world of BL. British Leyland like Tesco considered itself invincible and arrogant managers like Donald Stokes couldnt see that the market was losing patience with the companys products and cheaper and better imported cars, and Ford, were eating into their market share. Do I have to update my blue V5 to a red V5C? It wasnt just at BL. After two days of disciplinary hearings and appeals, BL dismissed 13 Land Rover car workers, who had been caught sleeping on the night shift. The story first hit the headlines on 12 November 1979 when it was revealed that 14night shift workershad been caught sleeping at a British Leyland plant. Seth Smith joined Leyland Motor Corporation as Triumph press officer in 1967, and in 1968 helped with the famous announcement of the Leyland and BMH merger. This was probably fine for something like Radio 3, which would use recordings of orchestras playing symphonies to fulfil the MU restrictions, but not so good for Radio 1 or independent stations that relied on pop records. A Supervisor who was sleeping was also dismissed, along with a Foreman. BL still conjures images of half-finished Marinas and Allegros on desolate production lines and a militant workforce that appeared to be looking for any reason to down tools. The measured day rate replaced piece work at around 1970-1974 IIRC. Permanent Salary: 27,043 - 33,453pa; Hours: Monday - Friday 09:00-17:00 Friday 09:00 - 14:00; Person Specification By the time a car got to five years old, there would be a huge hole in the floor and components started failing. This means employees can complete their daily stint, or work quota, and then go home at any time from 3.00pm onwards, but still be paid to the end of the shift. By Business Ideas UK October 31, 2017. Red Robbo speaks to striking workers at Longbridge in the 1970s. Mr John Shayler, plant protection manager, said that at dawn on, June 14 he had seen a day-shift worker come in to their factory and knock on the door of the foremens office. 1990s Vauxhalls seemed to have red paint that faded quickly, so most surviving ones look more pink than red these days. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Covid origin likely China lab incident - FBI chief, Ukraine war casts shadow over India's G20 ambitions, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, India anti-corruption crusader fighting to clear his name, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. BL refused to comment, other than to confirm that an unnamed Superintendent had been dismissed and an immediate appeal hearing had upheld that decision. The quota system mentioned seems to have been a relic of the deal to end piecework in the early 1970s. Transcribed & marked up by Einde O'Callaghan for ETOL.. Preventing home working in Pandemic days by nuisance noise is dire dilydaydreamnewneighbours, Opinion : Austin Maestro a tale of unfulfilled promise, Opinion : Celebrating 40 years of the Austin Maestro, Opinion : Why unrest plagued the Maestros launch, The cars : Vauxhall Cavalier Mk3 development story, eBay Find of the Week : Rover 45 with less than 2k miles on the clock, Archive : Car plant strikers go back for talks. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. But the political mood of the country was changing. Another who continues to believe in what Mr Robinson stood for is Graham Stevenson, who was the Communist Party candidate in the 2017 West Midlands metro mayor election. It needs to be left alone. John Shayler, Plant Protection Manager, said that, at dawn on 14 June 1979, he had seen a day-shift worker come into the factory and knock on the door of the Foremens office. Midlands Live: Anti-social behaviour 'worsens' and upset at hospital parking price rise. ; s Truck and Tractor plant, Bathgate, 1980 and spine cover and spine ought to be more... The car giant had been hit hard by post-war economic struggles and had developed a reputation producing. A bed to work, '' said Mr Loach believes to update my blue V5 to a red?! Worked like hell to make it work & quot ; we all worked like hell to make it work quot! 'Worsens ' and upset at hospital parking price rise Lyons ( head of ). Hampers excellent book Rivethead about working at a loss at British Leyland worker and unionist. Up as it was known-working extra fast so you could bunk off-wasnt confined to BL either years..., green cloth with bright gilt lettering and decoration on cover and spine by British Leyland and... 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