Sheffield Bus Workers Firm on 'No-Standing' Ban

Sheffield, Sunday

LOCKED out by the Labour controlled Transport Committee, Sheffield's 2,300 busworkers are determined not to accept the ultimatum issued to them on October 19.

The lock-out follows the decision of the busworkers not to carry standing passengers on the new 78, 76 and 69 seater buses. Busworkers were then curtly informed by the Transport Committee that 'only those employees will be signed on duty who are prepared to work strictly in accordance with the national agreement that eight standing passengers shall be carried.'

Brother Amcliffe, a member of the Transport and General Workers' Union local branch committee and formerly a delegate to the union's national passenger group committee, told me: 'Staff reporting for duty on Monday October 19 were handed the Transport Committee's ultimatum.

'They were told to accept it or they wouldn't be allowed to sign on.

'No prior indication had been given to either the men or the union.

'I consider the Corporation were gambling on the early crews signing on as they hadn't got any instructions from the union.

'They were wrong, however. Not one crew took a bus out. We have five depots spread all over the city. All stood firm. Men, women, white and coloured workers—at Town Head Garage, the first two men to report were coloured lads, both refused to sign on—all stood together.'

I asked about the tram men. 'They didn't get an ultimatum' he replied.

'We asked them to support us and they did, 100 per cent! Last year the tubes 'licked' the London men. We had no intention of the trams 'licking' us.

Brother Amcliffe went on to explain how, ever since February the Transport Committee had adamantly refused to discuss the elimination of standing passengers on the big new buses.

'In October, they introduced the 78 seaters on the busy central routes. These replaced trams. Although the routes were extended we were only given the same running times.

'Despite all the efforts of the union locally, the Transport Committee refused to negotiate on mileage or running time.

'Finally, on October 4, at a mass meeting we decided to ban standing passengers on all vehicles.'

The strike, although not official—Townsend, national trade group secretary has advised the men to return to work—certainly has the backing of the rank and file.

Busmen's offer

At a mass meeting on Sunday morning, attended by 1,300 strikers, they offered to return to work providing the Transport Committee accepted that there would be no standing passengers on the new vehicles. Speaker after speaker—24 bus and tram men spoke from the floor—reiterated their intention of staying out until the ultimatum was withdrawn.

Sydney Dyson the chairman of the Transport Committee and leader of the Labour Group on Sheffield City Council came in for some scathing comments.

One speaker suggested that Dyson and Moore—the Transport Managers—should try their hand at working a 78 seater with eight standing passengers. 'Maybe they wouldn't be so keen on trying to force us to do it then' he said.

On Sunday evening, Dyson announced that he had turned down the meeting's offer. Boasting to the national Press that he had the public behind him, the Right-wing Labour Alderman said: 'I have had dozens of people pull me up in the street and say "Whatever happens stand firm".'

Dyson's latest firm stand has ensured that over 700 buses and 100 trams will remain idle in their sheds, thereby depriving his admiring public of a transport service. The acceptance of the mens' offer would have meant that an almost normal service would have been running the next day.

The outcome of the dispute is being watched by busworkers in Manchester, Liverpool and Nottingham where very soon their local authorities plan to introduce the larger buses.

This would appear to be an opportune time for all the Sheffield men to convene a rank-and-file Conference of all bus men. A victory in Sheffield now would make it harder for other local authorities to impose similar conditions on their busworkers at a later date.

The experience in Sheffield demonstrates, as does the Birmingham one, where another Labour controlled Corporation has rejected their busworkers' demand for a 40-hour week, that busworkers can only rely on their own strength to defend working conditions.