british leyland workers sleeping

As a young man, his first job was selling the newly launched Maestro at a BL dealership in his native Cumbria. Known for. 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. The men said that, when they had done their work, they should be allowed to go home. Mr Robinson, one of the most famous trade unionists of the 1970s, was dubbed Red Robbo by the media. 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. 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. Everybody laughs about the Marina now, says Seth Smith, generously, but when you consider the brief to use Morris Minor components to make a Cortina rival it was a reasonable achievement. DAILY MIRROR. in the biggest management Sell Your Car On Honest John Classics For Free. He will give evidence today. Two years later the Labour government appointed Michael Edwardes as chairman of the part-nationalised British Leyland (BL). So says Simon Pearson of his time at the much-maligned British Leyland. 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. That kind of thing went on a lot in the 70s. 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. Giving the Tribunals decision, Mr Smith said it should be made clear that Mr Yates dismissal predated others, which came after publicity given to workers found sleeping on a night shift. It wasnt just at BL. Although Edwardes had a reputation as a union basher, Robinson supported the idea of working with him under a policy of participation, whereby unions and management would cooperate on matters of industrial relations. Manage Settings AROnline Keith Adams 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use' pages. ( Somehow an orchestra trying to perform a punk record would be comical). Then, on 16 November 1979, another BL plant was in the news for similar reasons. Back in 2011, I visited a fair-sized barn in North Yorkshire full of Maestros, Montegos and the odd Metro. Mr Yates, of Coplow Close, Balsall Common, Warwickshire, claims that he was unfairly dismissed. That had to be the responsibility of management.. "He wasn't at all like what the media portrayed him as in the 1970s," he said. He was in charge of 32 men on the night shift who were dismissed, disciplined, or 'who resigned rather than be dismissed. He described Red Robbo as "forthright and honest" but added that "all he did was fight for the protection of the working class". In this occasional series Ian Nichollsrevisits some of these stories, using the newspaper articles of the time as the main source of information. Modified date: August 5, 2017. In 1975 Robinson succeeded Dick Ethridge, a fellow Communist Party member, as the AEU convenor at Longbridge. British Leyland trade union leader. 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. Only three men, none of them Mr Yates, had gone to the clocking point before 6.45 am, the end of the shift. Only three men, none of them Mr Yates, had gone to the clocking point before 6.45 am, the end of the shift. A company statement on the Superintendents discovery, said they had all completed their work quota. As Glenns said, even the Princess and its older stable mates were not bad at all by the end. Then Aldi and Lidl arrived and the facade melted away. Rugeley man apprehended with crack and heroin in Staffordshire town, Human error to blame for deadly train crash, says Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. 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 . But instead of supporting him, the workers who gathered that February day turned on him. If you want to see the true horrors of 1970s workplaces, have a look at the ship building industry. 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. As for his Red Robbo nickname, Mr Robinson told MPs in 2000 he regarded it as a badge of honour. Read about our approach to external linking. One factor perhaps not widely understood is that chronic under-investment meant that many major components were being built on pre-war tooling, whereas the Germans, for example, had all the latest kit. They discovered all the 14 men employed there, including a supervisor, asleep or dozing in sleeping bags, blankets and makeshift bunks. This has not happened easily and Black and Asian people have often had to fight for their rights. Am I being targeted by an overpayment scam? At the time the industrial giant was believed to be the sixth largest car manufacturer in the world, with 11 marques - Austin, Austin-Healey, Daimler, Jaguar, MG, Morris, Riley, Rover, Triumph, Vanden Plas and Wolseley - and factories across the globe. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Leyland Dozers Sacked. Most of my friends and acquaintances who didn't go on to further education went to work there. British Leyland's Truck and Tractor Plant, Bathgate, 1980. There are inept managers everywhere.Tesco were once omnipotent. It happened, the tribunal at Birmingham heard, in June after a six-month investigation in alleged clock-card malpractices at the plant. A little later, through a window, he saw two men, naked from the waist up. For Mr Stevenson, the dismissal of Red Robbo was "the first shot in the war that Thatcher began against working people and their families". It needs the shock treatment of standing on its own two feet like any other business. Born in Bedfordshire but now residing in Norfolk, Ian Nicholls is an ardent BL enthusiast. There was another rumour I heard that BL storemen at the time stacked boxes in the stores in such a way as to make a private room, into which they moved a table & chairs so that they could play cards.. "The Communist Party then dominated the factory's workforce, with many hundred Daily Workers [newspaper] being sold every day," he wrote in his blog. 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. 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. Union convenor Derek Robinson had been dismissed months earlier by British Leyland's chairman Michael Edwardes. But by this time British Leylands crisis had become existential, extending beyond the ongoing battle with its unions. He was sacked by Michael Edwardes, the managing director of British Leyland, in November 1979. It would suck senior stewards into collusion with management and neutralise shopfloor activism. Mr Yates, of Coplow Close, Balsall Common, Warwickshire, claims that he was unfairly dismissed. The former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson has died, aged 90. 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 . 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. This support saved brands such as Jaguar, Land Rover and Mini from . Two of them had clocked 24 or 25 cards. The struggle for equality at work. "He is quoted as saying: 'If we make Leyland successful, it will be a political victory. History will show that Derek was unfairly maligned by the media as he aimed to find solutions to British Leyland's industrial disputes and turn around the car company." Derek Robinson, trade . Mr Lampett, who joined Rover 22 years earlier as a Tool Setter, said: I believe I have been treated very harshly. Derek "Red Robbo" Robinson, who has died aged 90, was the firebrand British Leyland workers' representative whose sacking in November 1979 came to symbolise Margaret Thatcher's . Exterior view of British Leyland Strandard Triumph works entrance and gatehouse at Canley, Coventry . 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. It should have been a great jolly, except the BL apprentices we took to do the driving decided it was too much like hard work and went on strike after two days and the service guys withdrew their labour in sympathy!, The real dark clouds started with that sort of union behaviour, adds Simon Pearson, who began working in PR for Triumph in 1968, helped to launch the Stag in 1970 and took BL back into motorsport with Special Tuning: The genesis of those problems began right after the war. DeSantis won't say he's running. Often this meant DJs talked too much to keep within the restrictions, which annoyed listeners, until finally in 1987 needletime was axed. With 'Red Robbo' now out of the picture the Austin Metro was launched in October 1980. To be tasked with promoting these products was one of motorings more challenging and exciting jobs, and it attracted a group of talented, ambitious, energetic and creative young people, just four of whom I have the pleasure of meeting in a West End pub. Duration: 0:05:15. . He also stood as a Communist Party candidate in four general elections in the city between 1966 and 1974. British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 asBritish Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd . Preston Leyland Hotel, BW Signature Collection: Quirky hotel, good for parties and groups - Read 1,173 reviews, view 382 traveller photos, and find great deals for Preston Leyland Hotel, BW Signature Collection at Tripadvisor. He added that communists active in Unite "mourned the loss of their most distinguished veteran, a mentor and guide to us all". Kearsley has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the cars, down to the colour names and options, combined with a strong urge to save these underdogs. 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. Enter your username or email to reset your password. But if the SD1 receives a vote of confidence, what about the great unmentionables the likes of the Allegro, Marina and Princess? Mr Share also said there was nothing wrong with workers having a snooze provided it was in a chair. Mr Robinson led the fight back, organising hundreds of disputes. 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. 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. By the end of October 1978 output of the ADO71 Princess range at the Austin Morris car assembly plant at Cowley was halted by a dispute at Drews Lane. THE TOOLROOM workers at British Leyland did not win their demand for separate bargaining rights. Indeed it almost looks like Corsas, Combos and Vectras had a salmon pink colour option! British Leyland was more than just a vehicle manufacturer, it was a real-life industrial soap operawhich provided Fleet Street hacks with plenty to write about. When I asked, What happened? I was told Well, theyve finished their stint. In fact, some had finished by one oclock. 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. The sleeping on the night shift story went quiet until the New Year of 1980. It was a fantastic shape but, when I parked it, nobody looked at it. I can't think of anyone who . Enter your username or email to reset your password. 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. If you work in primary schools or social, emotional and mental health or learning disability settings, your work will also involve liaising with parents and carers. The Government should also be enthusiastic. Transcribed & marked up by Einde O'Callaghan for ETOL.. Mr Stevenson, a former union official from Coventry, said Mr Robinson held the position during a time when more than 18,000 jobs disappeared at the company, plants closed and car production fell. This year's foundling is British Leyland's first new Rover sedan in 13 years. The plant . 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. People were not being properly paid and rewarded so they got together and formed their own alliance. This was after he opposed Edwardes' plant closure plans in a pamphlet published on the authority of the combine committee. Statement from a Lucas representative who confirms the Lucas toolroom . The odd 1m going missing (I would have paid money to see the auditors face when they found that little gem), contractors doing nothing for weeks at 100 a day because the bloke who set the administration lock password buggered off for sunnier climes without telling anyone what it was. Preston Leyland Hotel, BW Signature Collection: Visit for a family celebration - Read 1,173 reviews, view 382 traveller photos, and find great deals for Preston Leyland Hotel, BW Signature Collection at Tripadvisor. Unsold Austin Princess and Morris Marina cars at the British Leyland's Cowley, plant in Oxford, 12th February 1980. He will give evidence today. In the 1980s and 90s, Mr Robinson worked as a tutor in trade union studies, teaching shop stewards. Whether or not unions in the UK took industrial action more than unions in Europe and North America is a moot point, much of the rubbish produced by the NoW, Daily Mail etc is treated as if it was historical fact nowdays where it should be regarded as propaganda. after annual holidays (see 5 July). One night him and his mate who were on the maintenance nightshift went to sleep in the cupboards. What fire was my friends answer to which the policeman pointed to the mess of the building next door and the thirty fire engines surrounding it! Not responsible for the content of external sites the SD1 receives a vote of confidence what. The ship building industry conglomerate formed in the city between 1966 and 1974 should be to. 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In fact, some had finished by one oclock the Lucas TOOLROOM engineering., Balsall Common, Warwickshire, claims that he was unfairly dismissed workplaces, have a look the! Aronline Keith Adams 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use ' pages wrong with workers having a provided. But instead of supporting him, the managing director of British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson died! His time at the ship building industry Princess and its older stable mates were not being properly paid rewarded...
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