Notes of the Month The Leyland Toolroom Strike: Some Lessons From International Socialism (1st series), No.97, April 1977, pp.4-5. He will give evidence today. We will write a custom Article on Absenteeism at British Leyland specifically for you. The Question was as follows: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many workers at British Leyland 515 and their suppliers were laid off as a result of the toolmakers' strike and how many hours of work so lost by this strike will be included in the published statistics of manhours lost through industrial action. Workers were to occupy and work in to prevent closures. 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. Unsold Austin Princess and Morris Marina cars at the British Leyland's Cowley, plant in Oxford, 12th February 1980. 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. 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. Within its yellowed pages, a cartoon shows three British Leyland workers clustered around the company magazine, contemplating a . document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. After a tip-off by the News of the World newspaper, senior managers the previous week carried out a surprise inspection of the night shift in a paint priming shop. A mass meeting of the men desided by a massive vote to ignore an official Union call for a strike. Perhaps more importantly, the rational economy, which includes companies like ICJ, Racal 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. Is this one of main reasons the build quality of the 70s BL cars went down the pan?? Video, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story, Prince Andrew offered Frogmore Cottage - reports, Ed Sheeran says wife developed tumour in pregnancy, Man survives 31 days in jungle by eating worms, China and Belarus call for peace in Ukraine, Bieber cancels remaining Justice world tour dates, Kobe Bryant widow wins $29m settlement from LA, Trump lashes out at Murdoch over vote fraud case. Permanent Salary: 27,043 - 33,453pa; Hours: Monday - Friday 09:00-17:00 Friday 09:00 - 14:00; Person Specification After two days of disciplinary hearings and . It needs to be left alone. Union convenor Derek Robinson had been dismissed months earlier by British Leyland's chairman Michael Edwardes. Mr Yates, of Coplow Close, Balsall Common, Warwickshire, claims that he was unfairly dismissed. Mr Robinson was elected shop steward soon after the end of his apprenticeship and by the late 1940s was a member of the Communist Party "in which he remained for the rest of his life", Mr Stevenson said. 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. Derek 'Red Robbo' Robinson led a long-running battle against management at the British Leyland plant in Longbridge throughout the 1970s. Born in Bedfordshire but now residing in Norfolk, Ian Nicholls is an ardent BL enthusiast. The UCPI is a damage limitation exercise by the British state, established in 2015 after the exposure of widespread use of undercover police agents against political organisations. Security officers kept watch from behind an extractor fan in a paint shop, from where they could see a clocking point. The incident would be reported to the management and judged on the circumstances. The quota system mentioned seems to have been a relic of the deal to end piecework in the early 1970s. These were blamed by managers for delays to production of 62,000 cars and 113,000 engines, costing the business an estimated 200m. British Leyland would once again become a privately-owned company and the size of the state sector would be reduced. Slight wear at extremities of boards. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. 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. Mr Lampett, who joined Rover 22 years earlier as a Tool Setter, said: I believe I have been treated very harshly. It wasnt cheap steel.it was steel that was galvanised on one side only..the idea being that the galvanised side went towards the wet..if only you could guarantee that the steel blank had been put in the press the right way round.. My father and his work colleague both had red S reg 2600 Rovers from new. She said: My husband rang to tell me that they have all lost their jobs.. I just wish theyd said it while he was alive., Harold Wilson appears to be much more the villain of the piece. Underinvestment and a lack of new models had resulted in BLs car market share falling dramatically. The Lancia was supposed to be the Italian version of BMW, and I do recall the Beta being a desirable car to own in the late seventies. The company refused to comment while a hearing was still continuing into charges against a Superintendent. 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. Fearing that its collapse would leave a million workers unemployed, the Labour government nationalized it. Read about our approach to external linking. The Stokes-era management had paid a high price to rid themselves of piecework but, in the climate of early 1970s Britain, the Shop Stewards had the upper hand, and British Leylands finances were too weak to withstand a major dispute, so to berate management is perhaps a bit unfair. The size, militancy and determination felt on the pickets, demos and rallies show that the sleeping giant, the British working class, has stirred. This support saved brands such as Jaguar, Land Rover and Mini from . Photography James Page/LAT. 2023 BBC. Following the election of Margaret Thatcher in May 1979, the government and BL sought to implement a recovery plan to save the ailing company. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. The paint turned dull and flat quite quickly. The check, which was made during the night of Thursday 15 November, had been ordered by the General Manager, Mr Robert Watson. We ask Birmingham: How can bus services improve in the city? At the time of the infamous Ryder Report (and nationalisation), BL offered everything from Europes most celebrated (and imitated) small car to a 150mph V12 coup that was acknowledged as the most refined and accomplished of its type. Leylands future was assured over the next two decades through reluctant government financial support, the new Mini Metro model and a joint venture with Honda. Email Print. For many, Mr Robinson is remembered "very badly", according to Chris Cowin, an expert on British Leyland's history. Product details page for Corgi Original Omnibus Leyland PD3 'Queen Mary' Southdown NBC is loaded. With 'Red Robbo' now out of the picture the Austin Metro was launched in October 1980. It was about two oclock in the afternoon. The Daily Mail claimed that the car firm British Leyland was paying bribes, and was exposed for printing a ludicrous hoax. I pointed out that we paid them until 4.30pm. 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. One of the most notorious trade unionists in recent memory 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". A little later, through a window, he saw two men, naked from the waist up. An uncompromising and . Over the years they have applied pressure to weaken work standards so that, against the already slack standards then applying, they are able to claim they have done their days work and management is powerless to give them more work to complete the shift.. That was not the responsibility of the employees, that was not the responsibility of the workforce. 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 consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. We had a LDV van at work for about 7 years. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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.. At one stage one in eight pounds spent in Britain were with Tesco. Im a former Austin Maestro owner, admirer and salesman, so it []. 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. Indeed it almost looks like Corsas, Combos and Vectras had a salmon pink colour option! 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. The case against me was brought following publicity and not on the facts.. 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. Robinson was born in Cradley Heath, near Birmingham, in 1927, to a family of chainmakers. Not at first, says Seth Smith, but they sure as hell were once it was nationalised, Our four protagonists fail to agree on how good or bad the promisingly specified five-door, five-speed Maxi really was. Where can you get quick classic car insurance quotes? In May 1968 Britain's two largest car manufacturers merged to form British Leyland Motor Corporation. Following his death on Tuesday aged 90, BBC News examines his legacy. 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 . When the plant closed in 2,150 workers lost their jobs, The plant was knocked down in 2008. . With two successive name changes, British Leyland became BL Limited in 1979. 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. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL for SCOTLAND (Lord McCluskey) Good condition, owner's inscription on flyleaf. Derek Robinson - nicknamed "Red Robbo" by tabloid newspapers - was one of the biggest names in the trade union movement . The men at Drews Lane had worked to rule for several weeks in protest at management attempts to stop them leaving early. 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 . He was a lovely guy, recalls Greenhill, when you werent in a meeting with him. Was he a communist infiltrator? He was dressed. 8vo, green cloth with bright gilt lettering and decoration on cover and spine. I called into the Plant Directors office and said that Id like to look around to see what was happening. It employed 200,000 people and was the fifth largest . Then, on 16 November 1979, another BL plant was in the news for similar reasons. He was a controversial figure throughout his lifetime but Derek Robinson remains a working class hero to many. THE TOOLROOM workers at British Leyland did not win their demand for separate bargaining rights. As shop . I realised that it wasnt going to sell somehow it had no presence. And apart from the stupid steering wheel, the Allegro was pretty good, and a lot less labourintensive to produce than the 1100/1300., Was the UK press quicker to stick the boot in when things went wrong than they were in, say, France? A shame really as improvements to the Maxi, Princess and Allegro had made these cars as good as many of their European rivals and certainly British Leyland never had to endure the sort of scandal that was engulfing Lancia at the time, where poor rustproofing was causing the engines to fall out of relatively new cars. The sleeping on the night shift story went quiet until the New Year of 1980. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. 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. acquired by BMC in 1953. 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. The content of external sites business an estimated 200m workers lost their jobs, the Labour government nationalized.. Workers at British Leyland did not win their demand for separate bargaining rights is... 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