A survey by a Superintendent at Oxford Exhausts, a factory making most of BLs exhaust systems and petrol tanks, found employees, dozing in various parts of the factory.. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. They made BL look like rank amateurs. So that was the sleeping on the night-shift affair. 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. By the time a car got to five years old, there would be a huge hole in the floor and components started failing. Where can you get cheap classic car insurance? Formerly a convenor and shop steward within car manufacturer British Leyland for much of the 1970s, he was commonly known as " Red Robbo " in the British press. Mr Robinson, one of the most famous trade unionists of the 1970s, was dubbed Red Robbo by the media. He was dressed. Mr Robinson worked as an engineering apprentice during the Second World War, progressing on to become shop steward at a plant in Longbridge. 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. Stories from those at the coalface. A mass meeting of the men desided by a massive vote to ignore an official Union call for a strike. 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. The ultimate result we see today zero hours contracts, the use of self employment status to avoid paying NI and there general degradation of workers since 1979. It needs the shock treatment of standing on its own two feet like any other business. Seven years ago Tony Cliff wrote, 'The aim of the . A motion for a strike in favour of his reinstatement was overwhelmingly defeated - 14,000 votes against to just 600 in favour. It would suck senior stewards into collusion with management and neutralise shopfloor activism. Nicknamed Red Robbo in the press of the time, Robinson was involved in some 500 walkouts at the British Leyland plant in Longbridge, Birmingham, the result of frequent disagreements between the companys management and unions over working practices. Mr Robinson was among those trade unionists soon to lose their grip on power. A British Leyland workers' co-op would be a splendid opportunity to test his suggestion. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Exterior view of British Leyland Strandard Triumph works entrance and gatehouse at Canley, Coventry . By Business Ideas UK October 31, 2017. When questioned the men said they had completed their work quota. 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. 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. Security officers kept watch from behind an extractor fan in a paint shop from where they could see a clocking point. The case against me was brought following publicity and not on the facts.. The tabloid paid the equivalent of 75,000 to buy letters which not only . 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. Enter your username or email to reset your password. "He was a very competent man in private life he was very kind and very caring.". Once part of the sprawling British Leyland automotive empire that epitomised Britain's industrial decline . Mr Robinson, one of the most famous trade unionists of the 1970s, was dubbed Red Robbo by the media. Stories from those at the coalface. He was the main spokesman for the British Leyland combine committee which united about 40 different plants around the country, for most of the 1970s. Management regarded him as an "insidious influence" and his days at the car firm had been numbered. We had a LDV van at work for about 7 years. I am worried sick." Permanent Salary: 27,043 - 33,453pa; Hours: Monday - Friday 09:00-17:00 Friday 09:00 - 14:00; Person Specification My god it was awful, it was bought . He was in charge of 32 men on the night shift who were dismissed, disciplined, or 'who resigned rather than be dismissed. Here, after all, was the worlds fourth-biggest car maker building the planets most complete and ambitious range of vehicles. On unveiling day, the company boasted, 100,000 Britons packed into showrooms to see the car and placed orders worth . Fearing that its collapse would leave a million workers unemployed, the Labour government nationalized it. Mr Yates, of Coplow Close, Balsall Common, Warwickshire, claims that he was unfairly dismissed. Slight wear at extremities of boards. No mention was made of any disciplinary action against the workers. 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. Christopher Lunt worked at Longbridge until MG Rover - the successor company to British Leyland - went into administration in 2005. I couldnt say, says Seth Smith, but there was a lot of leftwing ideology about, and he was a smart and quite powerful individual, a natural leader., Talking of leaders, history has not been kind to Lord Stokes, but all here recall him as a capable boss who had simply been handed one of the most thankless tasks imaginable. 1983 Cowley Moles. "He may well have had absolute belief in what he was doing, but few others did," Mr Cox added. leader of the unofficial BL shop stewards' committee. 9 January 1980. 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. Thatcher provided British Leyland with 2.9 billion pounds ($4.4 billion) of taxpayer money from 1979 to 1988, Rhys said. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. 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". Security officers kept watch from behind an extractor fan in a paint shop, from where they could see a clocking point. Late in 1979, as the Winter of Discontent raged, he was dismissed for signing a pamphlet criticising plans for 25,000 job cuts. Enter your username or email to reset your password. 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. Mr Robinson, one of the most famous trade unionists of the 1970s, was dubbed Red Robbo by the media. It needs to be left alone. The company refused to comment while a hearing was still continuing into charges against a Superintendent. British Leyland, Britain's largest automaker, faced bankruptcy in 1975. We are looking for a Children's Residential Support Worker to join an outstanding Children's Home. 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? 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 happened, the tribunal at Birmingham heard, in June after a six-month investigation in alleged clock-card malpractices at the plant. 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. It was about two oclock in the afternoon. Ultimately it would become nationalised as British Leyland, often referred to as just BL.In 1986 it was renamed to Rover Group.. History. All this was occurring at the same time as the crisis confronting BL over its decision to fire Longbridge Convener Derek Robinson. In the morning when they woke up they had large banging on the door it was the police. What's he waiting for? 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. 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. One night him and his mate who were on the maintenance nightshift went to sleep in the cupboards. Seth Smith recalls the introduction of the Series III E-type in 1971: We took journalists to Browns Lane and had a nice presentation on the V12 then took them on a tour of the new engine shop. Ideal business/holiday rental Perfect for families, friends and work colleagues (a pet friendly home) The cottage is an attractive Grade ll listed property recently totally refurbished to a high standard maintaining its character and charm, an unusual build with Venetian type windows and a . Classic car tax exemption: what you need to know. 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. 2023 BBC. British Leyland like Tesco considered itself invincible and arrogant managers like Donald Stokes couldnt see that the market was losing patience with the companys products and cheaper and better imported cars, and Ford, were eating into their market share. Following his death on Tuesday aged 90, BBC News examines his legacy. 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. But if the SD1 receives a vote of confidence, what about the great unmentionables the likes of the Allegro, Marina and Princess? AROnline Keith Adams 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use' pages. 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. British Leyland would once again become a privately-owned company and the size of the state sector would be reduced. 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. 3. I realised that it wasnt going to sell somehow it had no presence. However, the wife of one of the dismissed workers, Mrs Ray Pennell, of Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham, said the management knew of the practice and had asked men to double-load the conveyors if production fell behind. In November of that year BL sacked Robinson for supporting the pamphlet titled A Trade Union Response to the Edwardes Plan, which criticised the plans proposals and the companys management. It was a fantastic shape but, when I parked it, nobody looked at it. The company remained a ward of the state for 13 years. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. 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. Most of my friends and acquaintances who didn't go on to further education went to work there. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. For Mr Stevenson, the dismissal of Red Robbo was "the first shot in the war that Thatcher began against working people and their families". DAILY EXPRESS BUY BRITISH DRIVE FOR LEYLAND BOOST By David Benson An aggressive campaign to 'Buy British' is to be launched by Leyland British Leyland is to be granted a further 300m of state aid next year, with 133m to follow if the vehicle group's performance improves. DAILY EXPRESS BUY BRITISH By Peter Durisch Leyland chief Sir Michael Edwardes left Britain over Christmas with a special messagefor BL seals pact for Japanese to produce first car in Britain From our Correspondent Tokyo, Dec 27 BL and Honda today ratified an agreement Robert Taylor investigates recently released Cabinet papers that document the end of the 1974-79 Labour Government The newly-opened Mr Robert Yates, British Leyland foreman, last night lost a claim that he was. Musgrovemay well have beenreferring to the Drews Lane plant in Birmingham. These were blamed by managers for delays to production of 62,000 cars and 113,000 engines, costing the business an estimated 200m. There is a long-standing tradition known as stint and finish. He was a lovely guy, recalls Greenhill, when you werent in a meeting with him. Was he a communist infiltrator? He was in charge of 32 men on the night shift who were dismissed, disciplined, or 'who resigned rather than be dismissed. The public believed the brand was the cheapest and Tesco seemed poised to conquer every field of commerce. But at Drews Lane we still have an extraordinary situation. 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. 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. In the 1980s and 90s, Mr Robinson worked as a tutor in trade union studies, teaching shop stewards. Undermining the shopfloor Position: Children's Residential Support Worker. 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. What's he waiting for? Only three men, none of them Mr Yates, had gone to the clocking point before 6.45 am, the end of the shift. That was not the responsibility of the employees, that was not the responsibility of the workforce. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL for SCOTLAND (Lord McCluskey) Modified date: August 5, 2017. They had found that double the recommended number of body panels could be hung on the paint conveyor. We all worked like hell to make it work Inside British Leyland. How did you not hear that he said to which my friend blatantly lied I had ear muffs on we were grinding most of the night! The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Tesco is the same, they thought they could dominate the market forever as they pioneered the pile em high, sell em cheap style of supermarket, but were caught out by smaller continental rivals who beat them on price and quality. Robinson was born in Cradley Heath, near Birmingham, in 1927, to a family of chainmakers. 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