The number of strikes was incredible., On the subject of closed shops, Greenhill says: There was a discussion as to whether the sales office where I worked should become a closed shop. Product details page for Corgi Original Omnibus Leyland PD3 'Queen Mary' Southdown NBC is loaded. Its just a shame that for a lot of the 70s they were rightly derided for their quality. The plant . He was a lovely guy, recalls Greenhill, when you werent in a meeting with him. Was he a communist infiltrator? These were dark times indeed.Harold Musgrove. Similar incidents had occurred before and appropriate action had been taken. Red Robbo speaks to striking workers at Longbridge in the 1970s. Security officers kept watch from behind an extractor fan in a paint shop, from where they could see a clocking point. In this occasional series Ian Nichollsrevisits some of these stories, using the newspaper articles of the time as the main source of information. Transcribed & marked up by Einde O'Callaghan for ETOL.. Mr Robert Yates, British Leyland foreman, was dismissed for allowing men to sleep on the night shift at the Rover works in Solihull, West Midlands, an industrial tribunal was told yesterday. That was not the responsibility of the employees, that was not the responsibility of the workforce. 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, 90,000 BL workers to get copies of 'ultimatum', Where a lack of incentives is a barrier to productivity, BL dealer network near collapse after defections to European car groups, BL dismisses chairman of shop stewards' committee, Car Reviews: Read the latest reports from our experts. Learn how your comment data is processed. She said: "My husband rang to tell me that they have all lost their jobs.". it was just part of a long running campaign by the mainly right wing press that had gone on since the end of WW2 against organized labour. 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. After two days of disciplinary hearings and appeals, BL dismissed 13 Land Rover car workers, who had been caught sleeping on the night shift. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. 3. Location: Leyland, Lancashire. A little later, through a window, he saw two men, naked from the waist up. Year: 1977. 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. He was dressed. He was sitting opposite Mr Robinson when the union convenor was finally dismissed. Musgrovemay well have beenreferring to the Drews Lane plant in Birmingham. "But they are going to appeal against the decision. ( Somehow an orchestra trying to perform a punk record would be comical). He was credited with causing 523 walkouts at British Leyland between 1978 and 1979, costing an estimated 200 million in lost . Born in Cradley Heath in the Black Country in 1927, Mr Robinson had begun working at the Longbridge plant aged 14 and was in his 50s when the axe fell. The case against me was brought following publicity and not on the facts.. Good condition, owner's inscription on flyleaf. The struggle for equality at work. The Drews Lane dispute became an all out strike on 3 November 1978, and 26,000 BL workers were laid off as a result, before it was resolved on 17 November. I will leave the last word to Pearson, the man who got this fascinating group together: We all worked like hell to make it work, for not much money. The biggest problem was scabs of rust breaking through the paint all over the car within a couple of years. The men were found tucked up in sleeping bags when management swooped on the priming shop at the Range Rover plant in Solihull, near Birmingham. Then, on 16 November 1979, another BL plant was in the news for similar reasons. I hadnt been there for many years. British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 asBritish Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd . Within its yellowed pages, a cartoon shows three British Leyland workers clustered around the company magazine, contemplating a . They discovered all the 14 men employed there, including a supervisor, asleep or dozing in sleeping bags, blankets and makeshift bunks. By the winter of 1979, as 1.5 million public sector workers were on strike across the UK, the Labour government was in its final throes. The Unite union said the "dedicated life-long trade unionist" fought for "the rights and future" of workers. In 1975 Robinson succeeded Dick Ethridge, a fellow Communist Party member, as the AEU convenor at Longbridge. DeSantis won't say he's running. 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. 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. But if the SD1 receives a vote of confidence, what about the great unmentionables the likes of the Allegro, Marina and Princess? Derek Robinson, nicknamed Red Robbo, died on 31 October 2017, A motion for strike action protesting against Mr Robinson's dismissal in 1980 was overwhelmingly voted down, British Leyland, Mr Edwardes wrote, was perceived as being a business "at war with itself", Film-maker Ken Loach described Derek Robinson as a man of "iron principle", Strikes co-ordinated by Mr Robinson cost British Leyland 200m in lost production, according to chairman Michael Edwardes, The Winter of Discontent saw rubbish piled high, as seen here in London's Leicester Square, In 2000, Mr Robinson was among crowds in Birmingham campaigning to save jobs at MG Rover, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. A stalwart of the Norfolk Mini Owners Club for nearly a decade he is an enthusiast for all things Issigonis. 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. It needs the shock treatment of standing on its own two feet like any other business. 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. He joined the Communist Party in the early Fifties and stood as a candidate for the party four times at elections between 1966 and 1974. "The Communist Party then dominated the factory's workforce, with many hundred Daily Workers [newspaper] being sold every day," he wrote in his blog. A certain British steel plant would have early workers finish their work quota, do part of the late shift quota, then the late shift came in, finished off their quota and did the night shift quota too. "We all worked like hell to make it work" Inside British Leyland. He was in charge of 32 men on the night shift who were dismissed, disciplined, or 'who resigned rather than be dismissed. Robinson was involved in some 500 walkouts at the British Leyland plant in Longbridge, Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Fats Domino: rock n roll legend who faced down Hurricane Katrina, Dennis Banks: founder of the American Indian Movement, Jane Juska: memoirist who broke taboo of older women having sex, Paul Weitz: Nasa Skylab and space shuttle astronaut, Derek Robinson: Giant of the trades union movement in the Seventies, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off & extra perks with Booking.com Genius Membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 10% off selected orders over 100 - eBay voucher code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK March 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this March, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. An uncompromising and . Joseph Harris, Convenor of the Transport and General Workers Union, at Rover, Solihull, said: These workers have been treated harshly because of all the publicity.The disciplinary hearings ended on 14 November 14 1979 whenBL dismissed the Superintendent in charge of the day and night shifts in that area of the Land Rover plant at Solihull. We ask Birmingham: How can bus services improve in the city? Derek Robinson - Red Robbo - speaks to striking British Leyland workers in Cofton Park. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? No mention was made of any disciplinary action against the workers. Your email address will not be published. Inside British Leyland Stories from those at the coalface. Belated attempts to set up acceptable new output targets had been resisted by the Shop Stewards. Union convenor Derek Robinson had been dismissed months earlier by British Leyland's chairman Michael Edwardes. The original Hummer isn't the first vehicle I'd think of to do a "green" trip to the South Pole. Mr Robinson worked as an engineering apprentice during the Second World War, progressing on to become shop steward at a plant in Longbridge. Yesterday they faced a disciplinary hearing. We are looking for a Children's Residential Support Worker to join an outstanding Children's Home. People were not being properly paid and rewarded so they got together and formed their own alliance. The organisation specialises in providing best-in-class care and . Mr Robert Yates, British Leyland foreman, was dismissed for allowing men to sleep on the night shift at the Rover works in Solihull, West Midlands, an industrial tribunal was told yesterday. 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!. Appointed in 1977, the combative South African businessman Sir Michael Edwardes cut the number of workers almost in half at British Leyland, from 172,000 to 90,000. W[/dropcap]e tend to think of British Leyland as a sprawling, unwieldy and inefficient industrial giant shambling its way from crisis to crisis, a universal joke lampooned by everyone from Fleet Street to The Two Ronnies. Mr Robinson . He was in charge of 32 men on the night shift who were dismissed, disciplined, or 'who resigned rather than be dismissed. A plan by the unions to fight for a mass-volume car manufacturing was truncated when Robinson was sacked by British Leyland in November 1979. leader of the unofficial BL shop stewards' committee. A spokesman said that they would Mr Arthur Scargill yesterday pledged the support of Yorkshire miners for the reinstatement of Mr Derek Robinson the shop stewards' By Edward Townsend BL's controversial 2m "Buy British" campaign, initially aimed at new car buyers, has now been directed at dealers. BL has delayed implementation of its plans for the MG factory at Abingdon in Oxfordshire because of a probable offer from the consortium. What's the best type of insurance for my 30+ year old Volvo? 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. Seven years ago Tony Cliff wrote, 'The aim of the . Five minutes afterwards Mr Yates came out. Corporation Ltd standing on its own two feet like any other business Leyland between 1978 1979. New output targets had been resisted by the shop Stewards source of information conglomerate formed in the news for reasons... 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