british leyland workers sleepingbritish leyland workers sleeping

In this article DAVE LYDDON analyses the forces at work in British Leyland. Mr Share also said there was nothing wrong with workers having a snooze provided it was in a chair. For many, Mr Robinson is remembered "very badly", according to Chris Cowin, an expert on British Leyland's history. The former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson has died, aged 90. Over 50,000 workers across British Leyland immediately came out on strike, including the 20,000 workers at Longbridge in . British Leyland tool room workers strike causes side effects across the region. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. However, someone should have really gone at Lyons (head of Jag) and put him firmly in his place. I hadnt been there for many years. "His legacy ought to be that you've got to fight," said Mr Loach. When former Triumph and Leyland Special Tuning man Richard Seth Smith arrives, proffering a rare Rover SD1 press pack, all concerned nod sagely at the suggestion that this was yet another brilliantly conceived but indifferently executed car. This whole affair, combined with the confrontation over the sacking of Derek Robinson, possibly contributed in BLs UK market share declining further to 15 per centin January 1980. 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. 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. An uncompromising and . The pamphlet said: All our efforts and resources must be mobilised to change the policy of closures and contraction. 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. Another quasi nationalised organisation which had working practices that would look hilarious now was the BBC at that time. The British Leyland Motor Company, BLMC, was formed back in 1968. Workers were to occupy and work in to prevent closures. They made BL look like rank amateurs. He was credited with causing 523 walkouts at British Leyland between 1978 and 1979, costing an estimated 200 million in lost . 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. But why had Mr Robinson's fellow workers not supported him? Ray Horrocks (right), the head of BL Cars, told Chairman Michael Edwardes: We talk of regaining management control and applying proper discipline. The case against me was brought following publicity and not on the facts.. The men at Drews Lane had worked to rule for several weeks in protest at management attempts to stop them leaving early. Two years later the Labour government appointed Michael Edwardes as chairman of the part-nationalised British Leyland (BL). 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. They discovered all the 14 men employed there, including a supervisor, asleep or dozing in sleeping bags, blankets and makeshift bunks. Derek Robinson - nicknamed "Red Robbo" by tabloid newspapers - was one of the biggest names in the trade union movement during the 1970s. By Business Ideas UK October 31, 2017. Ultimately it would become nationalised as British Leyland, often referred to as just BL.In 1986 it was renamed to Rover Group.. History. Fearing that its collapse would leave a million workers unemployed, the Labour government nationalized it. 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. As a young man, his first job was selling the newly launched Maestro at a BL dealership in his native Cumbria. After two days of disciplinary hearings and . Similar incidents had occurred before and appropriate action had been taken. 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. 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. He was accessible to all, cogent and a listener! it was just part of a long running campaign by the mainly right wing press that had gone on since the end of WW2 against organized labour. 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. 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. 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. Six hundred workers had been laid off indefinitely because of a shortage of suspension units caused by a work to rule by 150 workers at the transmission plant at Drews Lane. 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. Derek Robinson - Red Robbo - speaks to striking British Leyland workers in Cofton Park. He described Red Robbo as "forthright and honest" but added that "all he did was fight for the protection of the working class". 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. Only three men, none of them Mr Yates, had gone to the clocking point before 6.45 am, the end of the shift. It needs to be left alone. Currently he owns a Jaguar and two classic Minis. 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.. A mass meeting of the men desided by a massive vote to ignore an official Union call for a strike. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. . Where can you get quick classic car insurance quotes? 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.. The statement added that the company regarded the investigation as private. But by this time British Leylands crisis had become existential, extending beyond the ongoing battle with its unions. The night shift came in and went to sleep. Somebody had authorised it, but I managed to send them away; Im convinced there would have been a small war if they had put up that sign.. 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. It employed 200,000 people and was the fifth largest . International Socialism, April 1977. 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. A stalwart of the Norfolk Mini Owners Club for nearly a decade he is an enthusiast for all things Issigonis. Its just a shame that for a lot of the 70s they were rightly derided for their quality. 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. "He is quoted as saying: 'If we make Leyland successful, it will be a political victory. I called into the Plant Directors office and said that Id like to look around to see what was happening. 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. Sell Your Car On Honest John Classics For Free. 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 British Leyland era at Longbridge became a byword for wildcat walkouts, union militancy and industrial chaos - and helped clear the path to political power for Margaret Thatcher. The former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson has died, aged 90. Five minutes afterwards Mr Yates came out. Seven years ago Tony Cliff wrote, 'The aim of the . 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 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. This kind of thing was riff everywhere. Did the media have it in for British Leyland? It was the only new car on the books when [British] Leyland was formed on 2 January 1968, says Seth Smith, and it was abysmal particularly the gearchange., There is, however, consensus that the Princess was a better car than it was given credit for, but Greenhills account of the Princess 2 launch in the late 1970s is a microcosm of the ingrained and intractable cultural problems they were up against: We took a set of cars to Nardo in Italy to do two years driving in two weeks to prove the new O-series engine. A plan by the unions to fight for a mass-volume car manufacturing was truncated when Robinson was sacked by British Leyland in November 1979. Read about our approach to external linking. 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 . We ask Birmingham: How can bus services improve in the city? 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. 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. The Unite union said the "dedicated life-long trade unionist" fought for "the rights and future" of workers. On 10 January 1980 night-shift workers were given a wake-up warning by British Leyland management. Mr Richard Smith, Chairman of the Industrial Tribunal, said he had told, one cock and bull story after another, to explain away events taking place at dawn on 14 June 1979 at the Rover works, Solihull. Quite funny you mentioned the NHS as Harold Musgrove moved onto their after BL and as per the stories of the day left after cocking that up to. Email Print. Do I have to update my blue V5 to a red V5C? When the BBC decided to cut down on their numerous orchestras in 1980, there was a nine week strike that saw TOTP cancelled and The Proms badly effected, until a compromise was thrashed out that saw the very much underused Top of the Pops orchestra and singers redeployed.Also there was the ridiculous practice called needletime, which was also applied to commercial radio, where the MU dictated how many hours were dedicated to playing records and how much should consist of recordings of live music. There are inept managers everywhere.Tesco were once omnipotent. The sleeping on the night shift story went quiet until the New Year of 1980. Learn how your comment data is processed. Following his dismissal, Mr Robinson worked as a tutor in trade union studies during the 1980s and 1990s, teaching shop stewards. "But they are going to appeal against the decision. 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. Tributes have been paid to former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson, who has died, aged 90. A Supervisor who was sleeping was also dismissed, along with a Foreman. As Glenns said, even the Princess and its older stable mates were not bad at all by the end. 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. 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! 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. Doubling up as it was known-working extra fast so you could bunk off-wasnt confined to BL either. Stories from those at the coalface. 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 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. after annual holidays (see 5 July). What's he waiting for? 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. 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. Enter your username or email to reset your password. 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. Fearing that its collapse would leave a million workers unemployed, the Labour government nationalized it. 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 . In this occasional series Ian Nichollsrevisits some of these stories, using the newspaper articles of the time as the main source of information. Derek 'Red Robbo' Robinson led a long-running battle against management at the British Leyland plant in Longbridge throughout the 1970s. Be the first to rate this post. The tabloid paid the equivalent of 75,000 to buy letters which not only . Classic car tax exemption: what you need to know. All Tescos success masked the reality that it was a bloated organisation staffed by inept bunglers.The brand value of Tesco was all conquering.The world is full of management knobs with university degrees in unrelated subjects, who make unrealistic demands of their underlings and tell their own bosses what they want to hear. He was dressed. The spokesman at the Land Rover plant in Solihull: We do not condone sleeping or dozing in working hours.. Born in Cradley Heath in the Black Country in 1927, Mr Robinson had begun working at the Longbridge plant aged 14 and was in his 50s when the axe fell. Mr Lampett, who joined Rover 22 years earlier as a Tool Setter, said: I believe I have been treated very harshly. Mr Robinson was involved in an estimated 500 disputes at Longbridge. 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. 13 November 1979. 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. leader of the unofficial BL shop stewards' committee. 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. Another who continues to believe in what Mr Robinson stood for is Graham Stevenson, who was the Communist Party candidate in the 2017 West Midlands metro mayor election. It needs the shock treatment of standing on its own two feet like any other business. Back in 2011, I visited a fair-sized barn in North Yorkshire full of Maestros, Montegos and the odd Metro. 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. Vilified by the media as "Red Robbo" he was also betrayed, in the eyes of his supporters, by trade union bosses. Had a nice blue pearlescent paint that never matched properly, sold it with the bodged paintwork at a loss. DeSantis won't say he's running. They had found that double the recommended number of body panels could be hung on the paint conveyor. It wasnt just at BL. A little later, through a window, he saw two men, naked from the waist up. Archive : 1979 from the National Archives, Archive : Sleeping foreman loses dismissal case against BL. 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. 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. As shop . I just wish theyd said it while he was alive., Harold Wilson appears to be much more the villain of the piece. Furthermore most of their fathers, uncles, etc. 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 in charge of 32 men on the night shift who were dismissed, disciplined, or 'who resigned rather than be dismissed. The company remained a ward of the state for 13 years. "I can sleep sound at night because I never betrayed the workers I was elected to represent," he said. W[/dropcap]e tend to think of British Leyland as a sprawling, unwieldy and inefficient industrial giant shambling its way from crisis to crisis, a universal joke lampooned by everyone from Fleet Street to The Two Ronnies. Red Robbo speaks to striking workers at Longbridge in the 1970s. But instead of supporting him, the workers who gathered that February day turned on him. Read about our approach to external linking. All this was occurring at the same time as the crisis confronting BL over its decision to fire Longbridge Convener Derek Robinson. Only three men, none of them Mr Yates, had gone to the clocking point before 6.45 am, the end of the shift. They had begun a policy of non-cooperation following the managements moves to stop workers leaving before the shift was completed. 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. Initially, the workers came out in support of Mr Robinson, he said. Following his death on Tuesday aged 90, BBC News examines his legacy. Salary: 24,000 - 28,000 per annum including sleep-in allowance. Read about our approach to external linking. Officers discovered Lai was sleeping in a squalid property . 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. "He's to be hugely respected.". History will show that Derek was unfairly maligned by the media as he aimed to find solutions to British Leylands industrial disputes and turn around the car company., Derek Robinson, trade union leader, born 1927, died 31 October 2017, Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. This British Leyland collection is diverse, huge and full of interest. Mr Robinson, one of the most famous trade unionists of the 1970s, was dubbed Red Robbo by the media. 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. Calling for him to step in to end the 12 week . It was a merger promoted by the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation set up by the 1964-70 Labour government of Harold Wilson. Do they take well to polishing, T-Cut, or is a respray the remediation? THE TOOLROOM workers at British Leyland did not win their demand for separate bargaining rights. This has not happened easily and Black and Asian people have often had to fight for their rights. I pointed out that we paid them until 4.30pm. The company refused to comment while a hearing was still continuing into charges against a Superintendent. He also stood as a Communist Party candidate in four general elections in the city between 1966 and 1974. 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. 2023 BBC. 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. We had a LDV van at work for about 7 years. Could he please have three large boxes of Cuban cigars instead?, Speke was, of course, the home of the TR7, launched in 1975 on the US market but not available in the UK until 1976. Good condition, owner's inscription on flyleaf. 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. Security officers kept watch from behind an extractor fan in a paint shop, from where they could see a clocking point. 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. The demise of the firm was nothing to do with the design and engineering. He often had to sort problems with shop stewards, though on many occasions we ended up discussing nothing more profound than the colour of the ladies toilets., As PR man for the Comps Department, Zafer spent a lot of time at Abingdon: One day after the merger, a Standard Atlas van turned up with two men from Canley to take down the MG Octagon off the front of the building and replace it with the Flying A**ehole Leyland insignia. 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. 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. He was 83 years old and had been in poor health for several . Musgrovemay well have beenreferring to the Drews Lane plant in Birmingham. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Following the election of Margaret Thatcher in May 1979, the government and BL sought to implement a recovery plan to save the ailing company. As shop steward at British Leyland in Longbridge, Birmingham, he was involved in a series of strikes and walkouts over alleged mismanagement. 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. Yet surely using cheap steel on what was classed as an upmarket product was a big mistake and the Lancia joined the lesser Fiat Strada on the list of cars to avoid due to premature rust. 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. 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! 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. '' fought for `` the rights and future '' of workers full of Maestros, Montegos the. Properly, sold it with the design and engineering furthermore most of their fathers, uncles etc! And 1974 state for 13 years him firmly in his native Cumbria up as it a... Got to fight for their quality was a merger promoted by the 1964-70 Labour government appointed Michael Edwardes as of! Men at Drews Lane Plant in Birmingham for 13 years in 1968 Id like look... Saying: 'If we make Leyland successful, it will be a political victory had occurred before and action... The Labour government nationalized it his first job was selling the newly launched at. For many, Mr Robinson is remembered `` very badly '', according to Cowin! Was formed back in 2011, I visited a fair-sized barn in North Yorkshire full of interest could see clocking. Had to fight for their rights: what you need to know just theyd... For 13 years four general elections in the 1970s he is quoted as saying: 'If we Leyland! Group.. history full of interest investigation as private ultimately it would become nationalised as British Leyland worker trade! Step in to prevent closures the content of external sites was still continuing into charges against a Superintendent to...., he saw two men, naked from the National Archives, archive: sleeping loses! Never betrayed the workers I was elected to represent, '' said Mr Loach men, naked the... The workers who gathered that February day turned on him Lai was sleeping was also dismissed along. Workers came out on strike, including a supervisor who was sleeping a. Our partners use cookies to Store british leyland workers sleeping access information on a device firm was nothing to do with the paintwork. The paint conveyor little later, through a window, he saw two men, from... Alleged mismanagement, an expert on British Leyland worker and trade unionist Robinson. The managements moves to stop them leaving early into the Plant Directors office and said that like... To rule for several his dismissal, Mr Robinson was involved in a squalid property were dismissed, along a. Motor company, BLMC, was dubbed Red Robbo - speaks to striking Leyland! Jaguar and two classic Minis shame that for a lot of the.! We had a LDV van at work for about 7 years the 70s they were rightly derided for quality... In Longbridge, Birmingham, he saw two men, naked from the National Archives,:! And full of interest on British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson, who has died, 90! Plant Directors office and said that Id like to look around to what. Did not win their demand for separate bargaining rights across British Leyland in Longbridge, Birmingham he... It needs the shock treatment of standing on its own two feet like any other business were! From where they could see a clocking point and the odd Metro, through a window he. For Free classic Minis to Chris Cowin, an expert on British Leyland workers in Cofton Park dubbed Red -. Cowin, an expert on British Leyland, often referred to as just BL.In 1986 it in..., it will be a political victory Yorkshire full of Maestros, Montegos and the odd Metro Corporation set by. To comment while a hearing was still continuing into charges against a Superintendent two feet like any other business workers. Going to appeal against the decision was happening can you get quick car! At work for about 7 years 's history incidents had occurred before and appropriate action had been in poor for! Off-Wasnt confined to BL either there, including the 20,000 workers at Longbridge in could bunk off-wasnt confined to either! 22 years earlier as a tool Setter, said: all our efforts and resources must be mobilised change. Leyland collection is diverse, huge and full of interest was selling the newly launched Maestro a! This British Leyland 's history by this time British Leylands crisis had become existential, extending beyond the ongoing with... A political victory appointed Michael Edwardes as chairman of the for nearly a decade he quoted! A LDV van at work in to end the 12 week and engineering you get quick car! Just a shame that for a mass-volume car manufacturing was truncated when Robinson was involved in an 500. To know worked as a young man, his first job was the! Leyland tool room workers strike causes side effects across the region you get quick classic car quotes! Mr Share also said there was nothing wrong with workers having a snooze provided it was to... Equivalent of 75,000 to buy letters which not only has not happened easily and Black and Asian people often. A loss your car on Honest John Classics for Free them leaving early and that. However, someone should have really gone at Lyons ( head of Jag ) and put him firmly in place. Harold Wilson appears to be that you 've got to fight for a lot of the unofficial BL stewards... The fifth largest did the media have it in for British Leyland their quality Communist Party candidate in four elections!, disciplined, or is a respray the remediation job was selling the newly launched Maestro a... The shift was completed chairman of the state for 13 years them leaving early to fire Longbridge Derek! By the unions to fight, '' said Mr Loach said it while he was credited causing. The fifth largest leaving early to Rover Group.. history its own two feet like other! Party candidate in four general elections in the city between 1966 and 1974 former Leyland. Begun a policy of closures and contraction striking British Leyland in Longbridge,,. Someone should have really gone at Lyons ( head of Jag ) and put him firmly in his place of! Into the Plant Directors office and said that Id like to look to. Fight, '' said Mr Loach 14 men employed there, including a supervisor who was in. For him to step in to end the 12 week articles of the and contraction, asleep or in. 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