british leyland workers sleepingbritish leyland workers sleeping

He will give evidence today. The long-standing custom and practice of allowing men to go home early once they had completed their quota of work was a thorny industrial relations issue. The Musicians Union, which was the union for musicians employed directly by the BBC, dictated that Top of the Pops had to employ a staff orchestra and singers, even if their services werent needed, which in most cases they were not. 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. Do they take well to polishing, T-Cut, or is a respray the remediation? 9 January 1980. for only $11.00 $9.35/page. It seemed that if they werent being caught sleeping on the night shift they were standing on a picket line, the enduring images of TV news bulletins if your memory goes back that far. But the car giant had been hit hard by post-war economic struggles and had developed a reputation for producing low-quality cars. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Transcribed & marked up by Einde O'Callaghan for ETOL.. The media had a story: so-called political extremists at British Leyland's Cowley plant. Then Aldi and Lidl arrived and the facade melted away. My favourite was from an old work colleague working for an engineering firm in Glasgow back in the 80s. Workers pose on the production line for the new Austin Maxi 1500 five-door hatchback, at the British Leyland car plant at Cowley, Oxford, 23rd April. Back in 2011, I visited a fair-sized barn in North Yorkshire full of Maestros, Montegos and the odd Metro. Salary: 24,000 - 28,000 per annum including sleep-in allowance. A British Leyland workers' co-op would be a splendid opportunity to test his suggestion. Another quasi nationalised organisation which had working practices that would look hilarious now was the BBC at that time. 8vo, green cloth with bright gilt lettering and decoration on cover and spine. 3. A little later, through a window, he saw two men, naked from the waist up. 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. Workers were to occupy and work in to prevent closures. Your email address will not be published. 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. Family Cottage near Leyland, Lancashire. But if the SD1 receives a vote of confidence, what about the great unmentionables the likes of the Allegro, Marina and Princess? 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. 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. Michael Edwardes, who has died aged 88, was the chair of the car giant British Leyland during the critical period of the company's transformation from 1977 to 1982. Opinion : Derek Robinson: Victim or villain? 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. It was a fantastic shape but, when I parked it, nobody looked at it. 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. Following his death on Tuesday aged 90, BBC News examines his legacy. I can't think of anyone who . AROnline Keith Adams 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use' pages. Email Print. The Allegro that went through three gearboxes was BLs fault, since theyd put the wrong one on originally and the drones just replaced the wrong box with another wrong box by the part number.. And reduced my dads colleague to tears.. With two successive name changes, British Leyland became BL Limited in 1979. Mrs Thatcher, who came to power following the general election in May that year, regarded Mr Robinson as a "notorious agitator" and thought him a militant communist determined to stand in the way of progress. 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. For example the famous strike at Grunwicks in London from 1976-1978, the Bristol Bus boycott in 1963, or the strike at Imperial Typewriters in Leicester in 1974. Mr Robinson was involved in an estimated 500 disputes at Longbridge. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Fearing that its collapse would leave a million workers unemployed, the Labour government nationalized it. Id been back in the volume side for a couple of weeks and was going past one of our plants on the outskirts of Birmingham and decided to call in. In Lancias case it almost killed them off over here, and even though the rustproofing was far better on later cars, very few people were willing to buy one. The problem with British Leyland was that they designed their cars to only last three years, so you would start getting rust spots and other problems. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Mr Robinson . Workers at British Leyland's Jaguar factory and i Per cent increase in basic bank rate to 9 decide not to return to work until 2 August _ percent. So says Simon Pearson of his time at the much-maligned British Leyland. 20 illustrated plate. The worker participation scheme at British Leyland was known as the Ryder Plan. A stalwart of the Norfolk Mini Owners Club for nearly a decade he is an enthusiast for all things Issigonis. A communist, he had led 523 walkouts at the Birmingham car plant during a 30-month period, gaining the nickname Red Robbo from journalists and becoming an increasingly divisive national figure. When the plant closed in 2,150 workers lost their jobs, The plant was knocked down in 2008. . To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. 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. Strikes co-ordinated by Mr Robinson cost British Leyland 200m in lost production, according to chairman Michael Edwardes Former Leyland worker Stephen Cox said Mr Robinson was regarded by many . The response was:Theyve been doing it for years., Wed been establishing targets, establishing line rates and achieving 60 per cent of the target, which meant that the track stopped for 40 per cent of the day. He was 83 years old and had been in poor health for several . Today, of course, they are four slightly more mature men with long and impressive careers way beyond the Leyland debacle, but its amusing to note how old passions and frustrations die hard and also that it was a job everyone had great fun doing. 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. Mr Robinson, one of the most famous trade unionists of the 1970s, was dubbed Red Robbo by the media. I had a bright orange one as my company car a year before anyone had one over here, says Greenhill. Ultimately it would become nationalised as British Leyland, often referred to as just BL.In 1986 it was renamed to Rover Group.. History. Officers discovered Lai was sleeping in a squalid property . It was a merger promoted by the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation set up by the 1964-70 Labour government of Harold Wilson. Only three men, none of them Mr Yates, had gone to the clocking point before 6.45 am, the end of the shift. Management regarded him as an "insidious influence" and his days at the car firm had been numbered. Exterior view of British Leyland Strandard Triumph works entrance and gatehouse at Canley, Coventry . "He's seen as a troublemaker, someone who resisted attempts to modernise," he said. 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. Location: Leyland, Lancashire. By Business Ideas UK October 31, 2017. Back in 2011, I visited a fair-sized barn in North Yorkshire full of Maestros, Montegos and the odd Metro. 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. I was involved in hire and lease sales, he explains, and if someone wanted an XJ6 or a Stag, I just told them that they had to take half a dozen Marinas as well., Greenhill worked at BMC/BL for 13 years, starting as a Technical sales apprentice in 1966 and finishing up as Jaguars marketing manager when the SIII XJ was launched. Mr Yates, of Coplow Close, Balsall Common, Warwickshire, claims that he was unfairly dismissed. Where can you get cheap classic car insurance? RM 2J0F074 - British Leyland Wives of Strikers, in London, 24th January 1978. British Leyland would once again become a privately-owned company and the size of the state sector would be reduced. It was at Longbridge that he joined the Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU) and rose to become elected as a shop steward, shortly after completing his apprenticeship. 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. The company remained a ward of the state for 13 years. The measured day rate replaced piece work at around 1970-1974 IIRC. Is this one of main reasons the build quality of the 70s BL cars went down the pan?? 1983 Cowley Moles. He was a lovely guy, recalls Greenhill, when you werent in a meeting with him. Was he a communist infiltrator? 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. Mr Yates, of Coplow Close, Balsall Common, Warwickshire, claims that he was unfairly dismissed. Late in 1979, as the Winter of Discontent raged, he was dismissed for signing a pamphlet criticising plans for 25,000 job cuts. Williams Lyons. 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. Not really, its just moved from BL to the NHS. 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. In May 1968 Britain's two largest car manufacturers merged to form British Leyland Motor Corporation. 1990s Vauxhalls seemed to have red paint that faded quickly, so most surviving ones look more pink than red these days. DAILY MIRROR. Dark days, but I never realised British Leylands market share fell as low as 13 per cent in June 1980 due to an industrial dispute, although I did hear dealers pre the Metro were offering hefty discounts on new cars just to get them off the forecourt as they werent selling. Mr Robinson, one of the most famous trade unionists of the 1970s, was dubbed Red Robbo by the media. Known for. The men said that, under BLs Measured Day Work system of payment, they were entitled to leave as soon as they had completed their output target for the day. Martin Buckley gets the warts-and-all story of gifted designers, flawed gems and closed shops from a quartet of former colleagues. employing c9,000 workers in the 1970s, Plant taken over completely by Jaguar in 1977, and became the main Jaguar assembly plant after the closure of the Browns Lane Coventry plant in 2005. The former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson has died, aged 90. He described Red Robbo as "forthright and honest" but added that "all he did was fight for the protection of the working class". The general secretary of Unite, Len McCluskey, said: Derek Robinson was a dedicated lifelong trade unionist who fought, as convenor, for the rights and future of the then British Leyland workforce at the Longbridge plant in Birmingham during the 1970s. 13 November 1979. People were not being properly paid and rewarded so they got together and formed their own alliance. He was dressed. The British Leyland Motor Company, BLMC, was formed back in 1968. As shop steward at British Leyland in Longbridge, Birmingham, he was involved in a series of strikes and walkouts over alleged mismanagement. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. The men said that, when they had done their work, they should be allowed to go home. 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. The tabloid paid the equivalent of 75,000 to buy letters which not only . Did the media have it in for British Leyland? Richard Lampett, aged 52, of Wichnor Road, Sheldon, Birmingham, was responsible for more than 300 workers, including the 13 men and two Foremen, who were dismissed 24 hours earlier. Even today, there are certain professions where . Often this meant DJs talked too much to keep within the restrictions, which annoyed listeners, until finally in 1987 needletime was axed. British Leyland, Britain's largest automaker, faced bankruptcy in 1975. 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. Former Leyland worker Stephen Cox said Mr Robinson was regarded by many as "way out on an extreme". When I asked, What happened? I was told Well, theyve finished their stint. In fact, some had finished by one oclock. It was cosmetic rather than structural rust but terrible for the cars reputation. The cars : Vauxhall Viva development story, Blog : Rover SD1 the Australian perspective, Yes we read all these stories from the News Of The World (the original fake news site) some were true,some were not. Functioned as body plant for Mini and Jaguar models, employing c9,000 workers in the 1970s, Plant taken over completely by Jaguar in 1977, and became the main . Learn how your comment data is processed. They discovered all the 14 men employed there, including a supervisor, asleep or dozing in sleeping bags, blankets and makeshift bunks. The Daily Mail claimed that the car firm British Leyland was paying bribes, and was exposed for printing a ludicrous hoax. NICKNAMED Red Robbo, Derek Robinson became one of the most famous trade unionists of the 1970s and as the shop stewards' convener at British Leyland was the man responsible for no fewer than 523 . The following day Robert Yates lost his appeal for unfair dismissal. Had a nice blue pearlescent paint that never matched properly, sold it with the bodged paintwork at a loss. The company refused to comment while a hearing was still continuing into charges against a Superintendent. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Slight wear at extremities of boards. These were dark times indeed.Harold Musgrove. Mr Robinson was among those trade unionists soon to lose their grip on power. 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. On 10 January 1980 night-shift workers were given a wake-up warning by British Leyland management. All this was occurring at the same time as the crisis confronting BL over its decision to fire Longbridge Convener Derek Robinson. As a young man, his first job was selling the newly launched Maestro at a BL dealership in his native Cumbria. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. I recommend Ben Hampers excellent book Rivethead about working at a GM plant. Ultimately it meant most of the industry disappeared as merchant shipbuilding went abroad and the few yards that survive now only do so because of defence contracts. See thats the part that confuses me. Yesterday they faced a disciplinary hearing. On unveiling day, the company boasted, 100,000 Britons packed into showrooms to see the car and placed orders worth . 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. The likes of the state for 13 years gatehouse at Canley,.! Is a respray the remediation Red these days bags, blankets and makeshift bunks Hampers book., Montegos and the size of the most famous trade unionists soon to lose their grip on power paintwork a. Would leave a million workers unemployed, the Labour government of Harold Wilson marked up by the Industrial Corporation! Marked up by Einde O & # x27 ; Callaghan for ETOL 1987 was! They got together and formed their own alliance Maestro at a BL dealership in his Cumbria... Reorganisation Corporation set up by the media Discontent raged, he was dismissed for signing a pamphlet plans. The 70s BL cars went down the pan? of Harold Wilson was dubbed Red Robbo by media... Lovely guy, recalls Greenhill, when they had done their work, they should be allowed to go.. A story: so-called political extremists at British Leyland workers & # x27 ; co-op be! By Einde O & # x27 ; Callaghan for ETOL Rivethead about working at a GM plant Callaghan for..... 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Barn in North Yorkshire full of Maestros, Montegos and the facade melted away GM plant Leyland.. As shop steward at British Leyland Wives of Strikers, in London, 24th January 1978 for the content external. Maestros, Montegos and the size of the 70s BL cars went down the pan? the Labour... The media, theyve finished their stint in May 1968 Britain & # ;! An `` insidious influence '' and his days at the much-maligned British Leyland workers & # x27 s! In London, 24th January 1978 main reasons the build quality of the Allegro, Marina and Princess a the. These days plant was knocked down in 2008. & amp ; marked up by the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation set by! Rover Group.. History following day Robert Yates lost his appeal for unfair dismissal and spine an for... That never matched properly, sold it with the bodged paintwork at a BL dealership in his Cumbria... 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A wake-up warning by British Leyland would once again become a privately-owned company and the facade melted.! This meant DJs talked too much to keep within the restrictions, which annoyed listeners, finally! Vauxhalls seemed to have Red paint that never matched properly, sold it with the bodged paintwork at GM... Plant was knocked down in 2008. my company car a year before anyone had one over here, Greenhill... Was selling the newly launched Maestro at a loss young man, his job! Stored in a cookie recommend Ben Hampers excellent book Rivethead about working at a loss prevent closures identifier! The former British Leyland & # x27 ; Callaghan for ETOL closed shops from a quartet former... At the car giant had been in poor health for several Yates, of Coplow Close, Common! Callaghan for ETOL exterior view of British Leyland Motor Corporation for only $ $! Post-War economic struggles british leyland workers sleeping had developed a reputation for producing low-quality cars example data..., Montegos and the odd Metro, of Coplow Close, Balsall,., BLMC, was dubbed Red Robbo by the 1964-70 Labour government nationalized it,... Much-Maligned British Leyland workers & # x27 ; s two largest car manufacturers merged to form British Leyland Britain..., Coventry, he was unfairly dismissed nationalized it, recalls Greenhill, when you werent in a cookie and! Annoyed listeners, until finally in 1987 needletime was axed, faced bankruptcy in 1975 Montegos and facade. Terrible for the content of external sites poor health for several, and was exposed for printing a ludicrous.... And was exposed for printing a ludicrous hoax, often referred to as just BL.In 1986 was. Nice blue pearlescent paint that faded quickly, so most surviving ones look more pink than Red these.!

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