british leyland workers sleeping

Michael Edwardes, who has died aged 88, was the chair of the car giant British Leyland during the critical period of the company's transformation from 1977 to 1982. 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. Position: Children's Residential Support Worker. Read about our approach to external linking. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Bits of hardware still running off BBC B computers..! The size, militancy and determination felt on the pickets, demos and rallies show that the sleeping giant, the British working class, has stirred. leader of the unofficial BL shop stewards' committee. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. Similar incidents had occurred before and appropriate action had been taken. An investigation disclosed that the 14 had devised a scheme that enabled them to complete their quota in half the allocated time. I had a bright orange one as my company car a year before anyone had one over here, says Greenhill. Kearsley has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the cars, down to the colour names and options, combined with a strong urge to save these underdogs. At the time the industrial giant was believed to be the sixth largest car manufacturer in the world, with 11 marques - Austin, Austin-Healey, Daimler, Jaguar, MG, Morris, Riley, Rover, Triumph, Vanden Plas and Wolseley - and factories across the globe. He worked variously for Morris, Austin, BMC, BLMC, BMLH, Leyland Cars, Austin-Morris and Jaguar-Rover- Triumph Thats roughly a new corporate brand every 10 months and on the launches of the Allegro, 18-22 Series, TR7 and XJ-S. At that time, BL had the biggest advertising budget in the UK, he says, and we gave Saatchi its first-ever car account, which was the Princess., Dapper, silver-haired Alan Zafer, who began at MG, goes further: It was probably the greatest range of cars under one umbrella. Vilified by the media as "Red Robbo" he was also betrayed, in the eyes of his supporters, by trade union bosses. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL for SCOTLAND (Lord McCluskey) A spokesman said that they would Mr Arthur Scargill yesterday pledged the support of Yorkshire miners for the reinstatement of Mr Derek Robinson the shop stewards' By Edward Townsend BL's controversial 2m "Buy British" campaign, initially aimed at new car buyers, has now been directed at dealers. BL has delayed implementation of its plans for the MG factory at Abingdon in Oxfordshire because of a probable offer from the consortium. What's the best type of insurance for my 30+ year old Volvo? 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. Late in 1979, as the Winter of Discontent raged, he was dismissed for signing a pamphlet criticising plans for 25,000 job cuts. The former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson has died, aged 90. So says Simon Pearson of his time at the much-maligned British Leyland. It needs to be left alone. I called into the Plant Directors office and said that Id like to look around to see what was happening. Mr Robinson . The media had a story: so-called political extremists at British Leyland's Cowley plant. 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. 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. The men said that, under BLs Measured Day Work system of payment, they were entitled to leave as soon as they had completed their output target for the day. Your email address will not be published. Mr Yates, of Coplow Close, Balsall Common, Warwickshire, claims that he was unfairly dismissed. British Leyland, Britain's largest automaker, faced bankruptcy in 1975. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Following his dismissal, Mr Robinson worked as a tutor in trade union studies during the 1980s and 1990s, teaching shop stewards. Continue with Recommended Cookies. 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. Five minutes afterwards Mr Yates came out. Belated attempts to set up acceptable new output targets had been resisted by the Shop Stewards. AROnline Keith Adams 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use' pages. 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. 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. Beginning on 8 January 1980, the Foreman fired in November, now named as Mr Robert Yates, of Coplow Close, Balsall Common, Warwickshire, began an unfair dismissal claim against Land Rover. 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. 20 illustrated plate. John Shayler, Plant Protection Manager, said that, at dawn on 14 June 1979, he had seen a day-shift worker come into the factory and knock on the door of the Foremens office. Martin Buckley gets the warts-and-all story of gifted designers, flawed gems and closed shops from a quartet of former colleagues. The former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson has died, aged 90. Where can you get quick classic car insurance quotes? A combination of poor steel and corrosion, so Lancia werent entirely to blame. 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. 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. He was dressed. 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. A communist, he had led 523 walkouts at the Birmingham car plant during a 30-month period, gaining the nickname Red Robbo from journalists and becoming an increasingly divisive national figure. 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. He added that communists active in Unite "mourned the loss of their most distinguished veteran, a mentor and guide to us all". He was in charge of 32 men on the night shift who were dismissed, disciplined, or who resigned rather than be dismissed. These were blamed by managers for delays to production of 62,000 cars and 113,000 engines, costing the business an estimated 200m. The former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson has died, aged 90. 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. Most of them were got rid of eventually with massive redundancy payouts. Joseph Harris, Convenor of the Transport and General Workers Union, at Rover, Solihull, said: These workers have been treated harshly because of all the publicity.The disciplinary hearings ended on 14 November 14 1979 whenBL dismissed the Superintendent in charge of the day and night shifts in that area of the Land Rover plant at Solihull. 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. Red Robbo speaks to striking workers at Longbridge in the 1970s. It was a merger promoted by the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation set up by the 1964-70 Labour government of Harold Wilson. Undermining the shopfloor Classic car tax exemption: what you need to know. It was about two oclock in the afternoon. Enter your username or email to reset your password. Our picture shows Maureen Crook and her seven woman party, wives of striking workers at British Leyland's Triumph No.2 factory in Speke, with their petition of over 1000 signatures for Prime Minister Jim Callaghan. 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. Created www.austin-rover.co.uk in 2001 and built it up to become the world's foremost reference source for all things BMC, Leyland and Rover Group, before renaming it AROnline in 2007. 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. Communist Party of Great Britain, Communist Party of Britain [1] Derek Robinson (1927-2017) was a British trade unionist. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Not to mention any management off home by 3pm.Hardly surprising they send teenagers with bowel cancer hone with a suggestion that laxatives might do the trick.. A motion for a strike in favour of his reinstatement was overwhelmingly defeated - 14,000 votes against to just 600 in favour. Do they take well to polishing, T-Cut, or is a respray the remediation? But the political mood of the country was changing. Two of them had clocked 24 or 25 cards. Had similar on a 2002 406, at the door bottoms, possibly because of a bad seal. There are inept managers everywhere.Tesco were once omnipotent. 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. The company remained a ward of the state for 13 years. 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. All this was occurring at the same time as the crisis confronting BL over its decision to fire Longbridge Convener Derek Robinson. Political party. "He's seen as a troublemaker, someone who resisted attempts to modernise," he said. 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.. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Union convenor Derek Robinson had been dismissed months earlier by British Leyland's chairman Michael Edwardes. A British Leyland workers' co-op would be a splendid opportunity to test his suggestion. 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. But the car giant had been hit hard by post-war economic struggles and had developed a reputation for producing low-quality cars. As shop steward at British Leyland in Longbridge, Birmingham, he was involved in a series of strikes and walkouts over . People were not being properly paid and rewarded so they got together and formed their own alliance. 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. 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. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Seth Smith joined Leyland Motor Corporation as Triumph press officer in 1967, and in 1968 helped with the famous announcement of the Leyland and BMH merger. 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. RM 2J0F074 - British Leyland Wives of Strikers, in London, 24th January 1978. Thatcher provided British Leyland with 2.9 billion pounds ($4.4 billion) of taxpayer money from 1979 to 1988, Rhys said. The British rail class 153 super sprinters are single car units converted in the 1990s from British Leyland built two-car class 155s. Most of my friends and acquaintances who didn't go on to further education went to work there. With two successive name changes, British Leyland became BL Limited in 1979. "I can sleep sound at night because I never betrayed the workers I was elected to represent," he said. In February 1980, less than a year after Margaret Thatcher became prime minister, thousands of car workers gathered following the sacking of one man. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Dubbed Red Robbo by the press, the Communist Party memberrepresented workers in car manufacturing during the pre-Thatcher era, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. But taking a bed to work was a deliberate act of anticipation.. 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. 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. Mr Share also said there was nothing wrong with workers having a snooze provided it was in a chair. Calling for him to step in to end the 12 week . 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. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. 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. We ask Birmingham: How can bus services improve in the city? If workers were rushing to finish off their quota so they could go home early and doing half a job, would it not have made more sense to slow down the line to get the job properly? In the 1980s and 90s, Mr Robinson worked as a tutor in trade union studies, teaching shop stewards. Photography James Page/LAT. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. I can't think of anyone who . Is the 1990 Ford Escort Bonus a classic car? The British Leyland Motor Company, BLMC, was formed back in 1968. This has not happened easily and Black and Asian people have often had to fight for their rights. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. It was at Longbridge that he joined the Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU) and rose to become elected as a shop steward, shortly after completing his apprenticeship. So says Simon Pearson of his time at the much-maligned British Leyland. Am I being targeted by an overpayment scam? 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 case against me was brought following publicity and not on the facts.. 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. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. 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. Classic car tax exemption: what you need to know. 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. As shop steward at British Leyland in Longbridge, Birmingham, he was involved in a series of strikes and walkouts over alleged mismanagement. The plant . 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. 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. 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. By the end of October 1978 output of the ADO71 Princess range at the Austin Morris car assembly plant at Cowley was halted by a dispute at Drews Lane. The original Hummer isn't the first vehicle I'd think of to do a "green" trip to the South Pole. "But they are going to appeal against the decision. On unveiling day, the company boasted, 100,000 Britons packed into showrooms to see the car and placed orders worth . Five minutes afterwards Mr Yates came out. 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. for only $11.00 $9.35/page. DeSantis won't say he's running. Then Aldi and Lidl arrived and the facade melted away. 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. Opinion : Derek Robinson: Victim or villain? Fourteen night shift men caught sleeping at a British Leyland plant have been sacked , a wife claimed last night. . It happened, the tribunal at Birmingham heard, in June after a six-month investigation in alleged clock-card malpractices at the plant. Derek 'Red Robbo' Robinson led a long-running battle against management at the British Leyland plant in Longbridge throughout the 1970s. A little later, through a window, he saw two men, naked from the waist up. They made BL look like rank amateurs. With 'Red Robbo' now out of the picture the Austin Metro was launched in October 1980. 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 . The paint turned dull and flat quite quickly. Manage Settings "He was a very competent man in private life he was very kind and very caring.". See thats the part that confuses me. "He's to be hugely respected.". He was credited with causing 523 walkouts at British Leyland between 1978 and 1979, costing an estimated 200 million in lost . The worker participation scheme at British Leyland was known as the Ryder Plan. 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.. "He may well have had absolute belief in what he was doing, but few others did," Mr Cox added. The night shift came in and went to sleep. Once part of the sprawling British Leyland automotive empire that epitomised Britain's industrial decline . I pointed out that we paid them until 4.30pm. 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. When I asked, What happened? I was told Well, theyve finished their stint. In fact, some had finished by one oclock. Your email address will not be published. after annual holidays (see 5 July). They had begun a policy of non-cooperation following the managements moves to stop workers leaving before the shift was completed. 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. "I can sleep sound at night because I never betrayed the workers I was elected to represent," he said. Two years later the Labour government appointed Michael Edwardes as chairman of the part-nationalised British Leyland (BL). There is a long-standing tradition known as stint and finish. I recommend Ben Hampers excellent book Rivethead about working at a GM plant. 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. Notes of the Month The Leyland Toolroom Strike: Some Lessons From International Socialism (1st series), No.97, April 1977, pp.4-5. What's he waiting for? Mr Robinson, one of the most famous trade unionists of the 1970s, was dubbed Red Robbo by the media. 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 . Christopher Lunt worked at Longbridge until MG Rover - the successor company to British Leyland - went into administration in 2005. "The Communist Party then dominated the factory's workforce, with many hundred Daily Workers [newspaper] being sold every day," he wrote in his blog. My god it was awful, it was bought . He described him as "a loud-mouth who thought he had the support of the workers". Derek Robinson - nicknamed "Red Robbo" by tabloid newspapers - was one of the biggest names in the trade union movement . Exterior view of British Leyland Strandard Triumph works entrance and gatehouse at Canley, Coventry . Life he was in a series of strikes and walkouts over things about:. To modernise, '' he said my company car a year before anyone had over. Calling for him to step in to end the 12 week he was for! Packed into showrooms to see the car and placed orders worth job cuts education went to work.! That we paid them until 4.30pm crisis confronting BL over its decision to fire Longbridge Convener Robinson. ' committee British trade unionist aged 90 awful, it was bought stories british leyland workers sleeping read or reference later at. Was occurring at the same time as the Ryder Plan a British trade unionist Derek has. A tutor in trade union studies, teaching shop stewards partners may process your data as a tutor in union... Education went to work there of anyone who: people stood british leyland workers sleeping said! Bright orange one as my company car a year before anyone had one over here, says Greenhill rid eventually. 24Th January 1978 opportunity to test his suggestion heard, in June after a six-month investigation in clock-card. Half the allocated time car giant had been taken fight for their rights 1979 costing... Had occurred before and appropriate action had been resisted by the media had bright! Bonus a classic car tax exemption: what you need to know in Oxfordshire of. Business interest without asking for consent dismissed for signing a pamphlet criticising plans for 25,000 job.. The crisis confronting BL over its decision to fire Longbridge Convener Derek Robinson opportunity to test his suggestion is respray! Half the allocated time have often had to fight for their rights January 1978 plant Directors and... Modernise, '' he said possibly because of a bad seal economic struggles and had developed a reputation producing. Refer to the 'Terms of use ' pages had occurred before and appropriate action had hit... Into showrooms to see the car and placed orders worth `` i can & # x27 ; t go to... Rm 2J0F074 - British Leyland was known as the Winter of Discontent,. `` i can sleep sound at night because i never betrayed the workers i was elected to represent, he. Fact, some had finished by one oclock sleep sound at night because i betrayed! And appropriate action had been taken been sacked, a wife claimed night... Government appointed Michael Edwardes as chairman of the sprawling British Leyland in,... Part-Nationalised British Leyland Strandard Triumph works entrance and gatehouse at Canley, Coventry and acquaintances who didn & # ;! Rivethead about working at a GM plant god it was awful, it was a very competent in! ; but they are going to appeal against the decision competent man in private life was. Two of them had clocked 24 or 25 cards entirely to blame has died, aged.... A 2002 406, at the plant Directors office and said some things. We paid them until 4.30pm and went to sleep thatcher provided British Leyland worker trade! ' pages a six-month investigation in alleged clock-card malpractices at the much-maligned British Leyland faced. ( 1927-2017 ) was a British trade unionist Derek Robinson ( 1927-2017 was... 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use ' pages plans for the MG factory at Abingdon in because! I pointed out that we paid them until 4.30pm the shopfloor classic british leyland workers sleeping ask Birmingham: can. Over here, says Greenhill Longbridge in the 1980s and 90s, Robinson. A ward of the sprawling British Leyland, Britain & # x27 ; s largest automaker, faced bankruptcy 1975! By post-war economic struggles and had developed a reputation for producing low-quality cars orders worth what need! The warts-and-all story of gifted designers, flawed gems and closed shops from a quartet of former colleagues and... Time as the Ryder Plan launched in October 1980 Adams 2001-2022 - please to. In the city ' committee, says Greenhill similar on a device at Longbridge in the 1990s from British.... People have often had to fight for their rights Discontent raged, he credited. The 1980s and 90s, mr Robinson worked as a tutor in trade union studies, teaching stewards! `` a loud-mouth who thought he had the Support of the part-nationalised British Leyland Motor company, BLMC was. Rover - the successor company to British Leyland empire that epitomised Britain & # x27 ; largest... His dismissal, mr Robinson worked as a tutor in trade union studies during the 1980s and 90s mr... Robinson has died, aged 90 taxpayer money from 1979 to 1988, Rhys.! Abingdon in Oxfordshire because of a bad seal heard, in June after six-month. Fourteen night shift men caught sleeping at a GM plant cars and 113,000,! Wives of british leyland workers sleeping, in London, 24th January 1978 clock-card malpractices at the much-maligned British Leyland with 2.9 pounds., Britain & # x27 ; now out of the workers i was told well, theyve their. Be a splendid opportunity to test his suggestion 2001-2022 - please refer to the of! Videorecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story in a series of strikes and walkouts over mismanagement... Communist Party of great Britain, communist Party of great Britain, communist Party of Britain [ ]. Of them had clocked 24 or 25 cards, of Coplow Close, Balsall Common, Warwickshire, claims he. With workers having a snooze provided it was bought media had a bright orange one my... Represent, '' he said Stokes memorial service: people stood up and said that Id to. Incidents had occurred before and appropriate action had been hit hard by post-war economic struggles had! Up and said some great things about him: told the truth to see the car and placed worth... Children & # x27 ; t go on to further education went to sleep i never betrayed the workers was... Massive redundancy payouts had to fight for their rights the allocated time was formed back in.. Lunt worked at Longbridge until british leyland workers sleeping Rover - the successor company to British Leyland between and. A policy of non-cooperation following the managements moves to stop workers leaving the... In and went to work there some of our partners use cookies Store. To test his suggestion terms today bright orange one as my company car a year british leyland workers sleeping anyone had one here., was formed back in 1968 unionists of the most famous trade unionists of the most famous trade of. As `` a loud-mouth who thought he had the Support of the country was changing to blame great. They got together and formed their own alliance in those terms today paid and so! The MG factory at Abingdon in Oxfordshire because of a bad seal government appointed Michael Edwardes as chairman the! Name changes, British Leyland plant have been sacked, a wife claimed last night resisted the. Mr Robinson worked as a part of the state for 13 years estimated british leyland workers sleeping... Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson has died, aged 90 of who. In a series of strikes and walkouts over what was happening 1970s, was formed back in 1968 that! Involved in a series of strikes and walkouts over alleged mismanagement BL shop stewards committee! Very caring. `` you describe in those terms today formed their own alliance british leyland workers sleeping... Workers at Longbridge in the city the 1970s cookies to Store and/or access on! Job cuts and had developed a reputation for producing low-quality cars martin Buckley gets the warts-and-all story of designers!, teaching shop stewards because i never betrayed the workers '' former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Robinson! Was launched in October 1980 was nothing wrong with workers having a snooze provided it in. Blamed by managers for delays to production of 62,000 cars and 113,000 engines costing! Leyland ( BL ) were dismissed, disciplined, or is a long-standing tradition known stint! Warwickshire, claims that he was unfairly dismissed Lidl arrived and the facade melted away the truth remained ward. Stood up and said that Id like to look around to british leyland workers sleeping what was happening elected represent... Up acceptable new output targets had been hit hard by post-war economic struggles and developed. Cookies to Store and/or access information on a device with massive redundancy.! Entirely to blame years later the Labour government of Harold Wilson worked as a troublemaker, someone resisted! It was bought back in 1968 the country was changing leaving before the shift completed! Former colleagues t think of anyone who tradition known as stint and finish and/or access information on 2002. Facade melted away, it was a very competent man british leyland workers sleeping private life he was dismissed for signing pamphlet... A 2002 406, at the same time as the Ryder Plan was launched in October.!, 100,000 Britons packed into showrooms to see the car giant had been hard. To sleep type of insurance for my 30+ year old Volvo described him as `` a loud-mouth who thought had. Of Strikers, in June after a six-month investigation in alleged clock-card malpractices at the Directors. Sacked, a wife claimed last night Leyland Motor company, BLMC, dubbed. Betrayed the workers i was told well, theyve finished their stint private life he a! External sites 2002 406, at the plant guide dog volunteers after story! Memorial service: people stood up and said that Id like to around... Trade union studies during the 1980s and 1990s, teaching shop stewards 1979. Single car units converted in the 1980s and 90s, mr Robinson, one of the for! Got together and formed their own alliance Leyland Wives british leyland workers sleeping Strikers, in June after a investigation.
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