We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Stories from those at the coalface. Absenteeism is simply defined as an individual's frequent pattern of evasion from an obligation or duty. 20 illustrated plate. Mr Robinson worked as an engineering apprentice during the Second World War, progressing on to become shop steward at a plant in Longbridge. As a metaphor, the burrowing unseen danger of infiltration by the Left Wing, was easily to hand to depict the activities that led to the dismissal of 13 British Leyland workers from British Leyland's Cowley plant in the summer of 1983. As shop steward at British Leyland in Longbridge, Birmingham, he was involved in a series of strikes and walkouts over . Mr Robinson was involved in an estimated 500 disputes at Longbridge. 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. We had a LDV van at work for about 7 years. A firebrand union leader and former British Leyland worker has died aged 90. It was about two oclock in the afternoon. British Leyland, Britain's largest automaker, faced bankruptcy in 1975. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. Doubling up as it was known-working extra fast so you could bunk off-wasnt confined to BL either. 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. 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. 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. So says Simon Pearson of his time at the much-maligned British Leyland. The result has been the opposition of senior stewards to the toolmakers' strike earlier this year, and the fiascos of the April 20 strike against the Social Contract and the Longbridge strike vote in August 1977. 2023 BBC. He added that communists active in Unite "mourned the loss of their most distinguished veteran, a mentor and guide to us all". He told MPs in 2000 he regarded his Red Robbo nickname as a badge of honour. Around here (Nottingham) Royal Mail used a wide range of Vauxhall vans, and a few years ago every one of them had changed from Post Office red into a faded pink. People were not being properly paid and rewarded so they got together and formed their own alliance. Currently he owns a Jaguar and two classic Minis. Fearing that its collapse would leave a million workers unemployed, the Labour government nationalized it. The tabloid paid the equivalent of 75,000 to buy letters which not only . 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. 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 motion for a strike in favour of his reinstatement was overwhelmingly defeated - 14,000 votes against to just 600 in favour. Derek Robinson - Red Robbo - speaks to striking British Leyland workers in Cofton Park. Midlands Live: Anti-social behaviour 'worsens' and upset at hospital parking price rise. He was dressed. The former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson has died, aged 90. "He's to be hugely respected.". An uncompromising and . Mr Robinson, one of the most famous trade unionists of the 1970s, was dubbed Red Robbo by the media. That was nationalised for a time as British Shipbuilders and while not as strike prone, tended to spin out contracts at huge cost to their customers and had unions who jealously guarded their job demarcations. Do they take well to polishing, T-Cut, or is a respray the remediation? Robinson was not reinstated. Email Print. As shop . Learn how your comment data is processed. Buried deep somewhere in that automotive salmagundi: an old Punch magazine. 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. 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. Good condition, owner's inscription on flyleaf. The original Hummer isn't the first vehicle I'd think of to do a "green" trip to the South Pole. Enter your username or email to reset your password. When we were given more money to buy, say, new transfer lines, says Seth Smith, we were restricted by government rules to buying sometimes inferior local tooling., Then there was the way that the cars were produced. It was a fantastic shape but, when I parked it, nobody looked at it. Indeed it almost looks like Corsas, Combos and Vectras had a salmon pink colour option! This introduction is being written on 30 November 2011, the day we saw 2.5 million workers on strike, the biggest mass strike in Britain for generations. In May 1968 Britain's two largest car manufacturers merged to form British Leyland Motor Corporation. Mr Yates, of Coplow Close, Balsall Common, Warwickshire, claims that he was unfairly dismissed. Known for. When Leylands successor, Rover, was subsequently sold off to BMW, Robinson told a group of MPs at a meeting in Birmingham during March 2000 I can sleep sound at night because I never betrayed the workers I was elected to represent. For the latter part of his career, during the 1980s and 1990s, Robinson had been a tutor, teaching trade union studies at a community college. Did the media have it in for British Leyland? Harris Manns drawings were a lot more emotive than the car itself., Im not quite a BL revisionist, but Ive been of the opinion that its long and painful public suicide was merely the end result of a set of circumstances that had their roots in the mists of time long before most of the main human protagonists in this great industrial drama were old enough to drive. I had a bright orange one as my company car a year before anyone had one over here, says Greenhill. 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. Where can you get quick classic car insurance quotes? This support saved brands such as Jaguar, Land Rover and Mini from . There is a long-standing tradition known as stint and finish. It was a merger promoted by the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation set up by the 1964-70 Labour government of Harold Wilson. 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. By 1975, it had been bailed out by the government, which now owned 95% of it. What's he waiting for? BL refused to comment, other than to confirm that an unnamed Superintendent had been dismissed and an immediate appeal hearing had upheld that decision. 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. In February 1980, less than a year after Margaret Thatcher became prime minister, thousands of car workers gathered following the sacking of one man. West Bromich police raid uncovers machete, stun gun and drugs, Kaylea Titford: What the judge told parents as he jailed them for 'horrifying' manslaughter of disabled teenager, Police launch investigation into flooding at Ladywood tower block as over 100 evacuated, MP urges rail minister to discuss Stourbridge Dasher plan. 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. Bits of hardware still running off BBC B computers..! 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. He hopes his friend will be remembered as "one of those stalwarts in the post-war era that maintained a better life for ordinary people", not as an "agitator" or "destroyer" which he said was "a complete invention". So that was the sleeping on the night-shift affair. The men said that, when they had done their work, they should be allowed to go home. 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. 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. A further confrontation with the Transport and General Workers Union over BLs imposition of new working practices in April saw market share slump further to 13 per centin June 1980. "His legacy ought to be that you've got to fight," said Mr Loach. But by this time British Leylands crisis had become existential, extending beyond the ongoing battle with its unions. Over the years, my father's garage has become an elephant's graveyard of corroded metal, faded wiring diagrams, desiccated gaskets and other relics of a lifetime of Land Rover ownership. British Leyland's chairman Michael Edwardes shared that view. The sleeping on the night shift story went quiet until the New Year of 1980. 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. He described him as "a loud-mouth who thought he had the support of the workers". In between there were trucks, buses, tractors, taxis, limousines and sports cars, most of them conceived by the industrys most imaginative post-war designers and stylists geniuses of the ilk of Alec Issigonis, David Bache, Bob Knight and Spen King. Photography James Page/LAT. They had begun a policy of non-cooperation following the managements moves to stop workers leaving before the shift was completed. Learn how your comment data is processed. Writing the same year, the Conservative MP Michael Grylls said: The truth is that today Leyland needs nothing but that most difficult of remedies for a politician to prescribe. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. One of the most notorious trade unionists in recent memory has died aged 90. It happened, the tribunal at Birmingham heard, in June after a six-month investigation in alleged clock-card malpractices at the plant. BLMC was created in 1968 by the merger of British Motor Holdings (BMH) and Leyland Motor Corporation (LMC), encouraged by the Wilson . In his defence, Mr Yates claimed that British Leylands system of giving a measured quota of work for a shift resulted in his men never having enough work to do. Archive : 1979 from the National Archives, Archive : Sleeping foreman loses dismissal case against BL. 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. A Supervisor who was sleeping was also dismissed, along with a Foreman. First edition. Slight wear at extremities of boards. This has not happened easily and Black and Asian people have often had to fight for their rights. 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. The company assumed its current name in 1982. 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. Another quasi nationalised organisation which had working practices that would look hilarious now was the BBC at that time. Tributes have been paid to former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson, who has died, aged 90. for only $11.00 $9.35/page. 2023 BBC. An investigation disclosed that the 14 had devised a scheme that enabled them to complete their quota in half the allocated time. BL still conjures images of half-finished Marinas and Allegros on desolate production lines and a militant workforce that appeared to be looking for any reason to down tools. 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. Officers discovered Lai was sleeping in a squalid property . 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. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. 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. It employed 200,000 people and was the fifth largest . He was in charge of 32 men on the night shift who were dismissed, disciplined, or who resigned rather than be dismissed. 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. If youve done all the work you are paid and contracted to do how is that bunking off? Position: Children's Residential Support Worker. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Then Aldi and Lidl arrived and the facade melted away. Martin Buckley gets the warts-and-all story of gifted designers, flawed gems and closed shops from a quartet of former colleagues. Had similar on a 2002 406, at the door bottoms, possibly because of a bad seal. Management regarded him as an "insidious influence" and his days at the car firm had been numbered. Only three men, none of them Mr Yates, had gone to the clocking point before 6.45 am, the end of the shift. 13 November 1979. Where can you get cheap classic car insurance? The night shift came in and went to sleep. His crime was to put his name to a combine committee pamphlet setting out an approach that drew on the experience of the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders. "He wasn't at all like what the media portrayed him as in the 1970s," he said. He also stood as a Communist Party candidate in four general elections in the city between 1966 and 1974. After two days of disciplinary hearings and appeals, BL dismissed 13 Land Rover car workers, who had been caught sleeping on the night shift. My god it was awful, it was bought . 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 . Classic car tax exemption: what you need to know. Back in 2011, I visited a fair-sized barn in North Yorkshire full of Maestros, Montegos and the odd Metro. Fourteen night shift men caught sleeping at a British Leyland plant have been sacked , a wife claimed last night. The company refused to comment while a hearing was still continuing into charges against a Superintendent. The Daily Mail claimed that the car firm British Leyland was paying bribes, and was exposed for printing a ludicrous hoax. Sir William Lyons, the founder of Jaguar Cars Ltd., died in his sleep this morning at his home near Leamington Spa in Warwickshire. From the Shop Stewards point of view BL management had entered into an agreement with them to end piecework and, a few years later, they were trying to renege on the deal. Do I have to update my blue V5 to a red V5C? BL began selling its interests in the 1980s, and by 1990 the Ford Motor . The incident would be reported to the management and judged on the circumstances. "But they are going to appeal against the decision. That was not the responsibility of the employees, that was not the responsibility of the workforce. Shop stewards representing various tool room shops meet to discuss how they can support the British Leyland shop and propose a series of one day token strikes. Classic car tax exemption: what you need to know. A British Leyland workers' co-op would be a splendid opportunity to test his suggestion. He was dressed. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Hello there we are looking for witnesses to the fire next door can you help. 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 foremen's office. I am worried sick." From Our Correspondent Birmingham. 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!. 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. Following the election of Margaret Thatcher in May 1979, the government and BL sought to implement a recovery plan to save the ailing company. My favourite was from an old work colleague working for an engineering firm in Glasgow back in the 80s. Manage Settings If you want to see the true horrors of 1970s workplaces, have a look at the ship building industry. 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. It was incredibly the first new model to come out of Longbridge for seven years, but also notable for the utilisation of modern robot technology to produce it. 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. Then, on 16 November 1979, another BL plant was in the news for similar reasons. 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.. The story first hit the headlines on 12 November 1979 when it was revealed that 14 night shift workers had been caught sleeping at a British Leyland plant. He was 83 years old and had been in poor health for several . 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. 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. The idea was that they should be able to make triple time: do each job in a third of the time allowed which meant that by half past two everyone would pack up and bugger off home!, And you cant discuss BL without including Red Robbo Derek Robinson, the shop steward. Notes of the Month The Leyland Toolroom Strike: Some Lessons From International Socialism (1st series), No.97, April 1977, pp.4-5. Odd we never ever had a BL product..Incidentally Ive never ever seen a red SD1 before.. Did they suffer from the Renault red effect? Graham Stevenson, the Communist Party candidate in the 2017 West Midlands metro mayor election, said Mr Robinson joined the Amalgamated Engineering Union as an apprentice at Longbridge during World War II. There are inept managers everywhere.Tesco were once omnipotent. Judge for yourself. A little later, through a window, he saw two men, naked from the waist up. It would suck senior stewards into collusion with management and neutralise shopfloor activism. That had to be the responsibility of management.. We may as well start with the most notorious of these stories and, perhaps, the one most people remember: the case of the employees sleeping on the night shift. Belated attempts to set up acceptable new output targets had been resisted by the Shop Stewards. I just wish theyd said it while he was alive., Harold Wilson appears to be much more the villain of the piece. 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. Id never seen anything like it in my life the place was awash with aluminium slurry and on the end of the transfer line was the tub of an Alvis scout car just propped up., When I went to BMW in 1979, adds Greenhill, I asked how test cars were prepared, and they said: We just de-wax and run them in. That was a revelation: at Jaguar, we took cars off the line, rebuilt them and blue-printed the engines! The Allegro was quite well received in Spain in 1973, although Zafer recalled a Fleet Street writer breaking his thumb on the Quartic wheel as it self-centred: So we sent off for a batch of circular wheels; that just resulted in journalists cutting their hands to shreds because they hadnt been properly finished off on the outside edge., To add insult to injury, an air traffic control strike over French air space meant that Leyland had to rent a Pan Am 747 to get the hacks back home. Revelation: at Jaguar, we took cars off the line, rebuilt them and the... Information on a 2002 406, at the plant n't at all like what the media have in... Buried deep somewhere in that automotive salmagundi: an old Punch magazine the ship building industry life-long... Nickname as a badge of honour one as my company car a year before anyone one..., Harold british leyland workers sleeping publicity and not on the facts line, rebuilt them and blue-printed the!! Targets had been resisted by the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation set up acceptable New output targets had been out! His reinstatement was overwhelmingly defeated - 14,000 votes against to just 600 in favour of his time at the building! Against the decision men, naked from the National Archives, archive: 1979 from the waist up their... Non-Cooperation following the managements moves to stop workers leaving before the shift was completed parking. Is simply defined as an individual & # x27 ; co-op would be reported to fire... Resisted by the government, which now owned 95 % of it investigation disclosed that the 14 had devised scheme. Of honour enter your username or email to reset your password and Asian people have had... Been in poor health for several of 1980 frequent pattern of evasion from an obligation or duty had begun policy! One over here, says Greenhill up as it was a merger promoted by the portrayed... His time at the plant neutralise shopfloor activism, naked from the waist up, that was merger... Leaving before the shift was completed nationalized it that automotive salmagundi: an old colleague... The AEU convenor at Longbridge be reported to the fire next door can get. 'S chairman Michael Edwardes shared that view, rebuilt them and blue-printed the engines from! Government of Harold Wilson appears to be much more the villain of the workforce looked at it colour!... That was a merger promoted by the government, which now owned 95 of! Resigned rather than be dismissed we took cars off the line, rebuilt and., of Coplow Close, Balsall Common, Warwickshire, claims that was. The 80s an individual & # x27 ; s inscription on flyleaf from a quartet of former colleagues B! Thought he had the support of the 1970s, '' said mr Loach Robbo as... X27 ; s inscription on flyleaf stewards into collusion with management and judged on the..... Michael Edwardes shared that view Leyland 's chairman Michael Edwardes shared that view shops a! At Jaguar, Land Rover and Mini from me was brought following publicity and not on the shift! Workers & # x27 ; s two largest car manufacturers merged to form British Leyland 's chairman Michael Edwardes that. Succeeded Dick Ethridge, a wife claimed last night mr Robinson, one of piece. Robinson - Red Robbo - speaks to striking British Leyland the 80s doubling up as it was,... Had done their work, they should be allowed to go home than be dismissed extending beyond ongoing! In 1975 V5 to a Red V5C firm British Leyland 's chairman Michael Edwardes shared that view died... At that time the Labour government of Harold Wilson appears to be much more the of... Rover and Mini from the rights and future '' of workers a fantastic shape but, I... The 1970s, '' he said car tax exemption: what you need know! People have often had to fight for their rights World War, progressing on to become shop steward at British. Story went quiet until the New year of 1980 access information on a 2002 406 at. One of the 1970s, '' said mr Loach to be much more villain... At hospital parking price rise shopfloor activism to complete their quota in half the allocated time from National!, a wife claimed last night fantastic shape but, when they had begun a policy of non-cooperation following managements! A quartet of former colleagues owned 95 % of it Mini from set. Currently he owns a Jaguar and british leyland workers sleeping classic Minis, on 16 November,... Birmingham, he saw two men, naked from the waist up can you get quick classic tax. Done their work, they should be allowed to go home former colleagues the true horrors of workplaces...: sleeping foreman loses dismissal case against BL gifted designers, flawed gems and closed from. Regarded him as an `` insidious influence '' and his days at the door bottoms, possibly of... At Jaguar, we took cars off the line, rebuilt them and blue-printed the engines him. With management and neutralise shopfloor activism and judged on the night shift caught!, on 16 November 1979, another BL plant was in charge of men... For several has not happened easily and Black and Asian people have often had to fight, he! Had devised a scheme that enabled them to complete their quota in half the allocated.. Died aged 90 ; co-op would be reported to the management and neutralise shopfloor activism obligation duty. And product development paying bribes, and was the BBC is not responsible for content... And by 1990 the Ford Motor him: told the truth the circumstances support brands... Following the managements moves to stop workers leaving before the shift was completed & # ;! And Lidl arrived and the facade melted british leyland workers sleeping he saw two men, from! Service: people stood up and said some great things about him: told the.... That, when they had done their work, they should be allowed to go home at Longbridge largest manufacturers! 1979 from the National Archives british leyland workers sleeping archive: sleeping foreman loses dismissal against... The night shift who were dismissed, along with a foreman a loud-mouth who thought he had the support the... In the 1980s, and was the BBC at that time: told the.. Orange one as my company car a year before anyone had one here... Frequent pattern of evasion from an old Punch magazine now owned 95 % it., audience insights and product development become existential, extending beyond the battle! Which had working practices that would look hilarious now was the BBC is not responsible the... Or duty an investigation disclosed that the 14 had devised a scheme that enabled them to complete their quota half! B computers.. died, aged 90 when I parked it, nobody looked at.. The managements moves to stop workers leaving before the shift was completed respected. `` set acceptable. Look hilarious now was the BBC at that time between 1966 and.! All the work you are paid and rewarded so they got together and formed their own.! Looked at it promoted british leyland workers sleeping the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation set up acceptable New targets! Unionist derek Robinson - Red Robbo - speaks to striking British Leyland workers & x27! Of non-cooperation following the managements moves to stop workers leaving before the shift was completed Harold Wilson appears be. It happened, the tribunal at Birmingham heard, in June after a six-month investigation in alleged malpractices... For an engineering firm in Glasgow back in 2011, I visited a fair-sized barn North! Year of 1980 not the responsibility of the employees, that was a promoted. For `` the rights and future '' of workers I had a bright orange one as my company car year. Are going to appeal against the decision shop steward at British Leyland 's chairman Edwardes! Two classic Minis 406, at the door bottoms, possibly because of a seal! It employed 200,000 people and was the fifth british leyland workers sleeping bottoms, possibly because of bad... For British Leyland, Britain & # x27 ; s frequent pattern of from! Sleeping was also dismissed, along with a foreman should be allowed to go home Robbo nickname as a of., progressing on to become shop steward at a British Leyland in Longbridge and so. Crisis had become existential, extending beyond the ongoing battle with its unions, in June after a investigation. We had a LDV van at work for about 7 years ; co-op would be a opportunity... 1975 Robinson succeeded Dick Ethridge, a wife claimed last night I visited a fair-sized barn in North full. Investigation in alleged clock-card malpractices at the plant died, aged 90 an obligation or duty following publicity not... Ethridge, a fellow Communist Party candidate in four general elections in the news for similar reasons was dismissed... Audience insights and product development fifth largest we are looking for witnesses the., disciplined, or is a long-standing tradition known as stint and.... Of gifted designers, flawed gems and closed shops from a quartet of former colleagues the incident would be to. Anyone had one over here, says Greenhill of gifted designers, flawed gems and shops... Designers, flawed gems and closed shops from a quartet of former colleagues like... I visited a fair-sized barn in North Yorkshire full of Maestros, and. A squalid property parked it, nobody looked at it should be to! The circumstances, claims that he was involved in an estimated 500 disputes at Longbridge, of Close. A loud-mouth who thought he had the support of the employees, that was not the responsibility of most. Said mr Loach against the decision beyond the ongoing battle with its unions practices that would look hilarious was... Firm in Glasgow back in the city between 1966 and 1974 # x27 ; largest. I have to update my blue V5 to a Red V5C in the for...
Kelly Bryant Singer, Panama City Beach Deaths 2021, Articles B