The men said that, when they had done their work, they should be allowed to go home. He left school aged 14 to begin work at the Austin plant at Longbridge, initially as an apprentice toolmaker. Archive : 1979 from the National Archives, Archive : Sleeping foreman loses dismissal case against BL. The organisation specialises in providing best-in-class care and . Im a former Austin Maestro owner, admirer and salesman, so it [] []. Mr Robinson led the fight back, organising hundreds of disputes. A Supervisor who was sleeping was also dismissed, along with a Foreman. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Sell Your Car On Honest John Classics For Free. They discovered all the 14 men employed there, including a supervisor, asleep or dozing in sleeping bags, blankets and makeshift bunks. 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. "But they are going to appeal against the decision. 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 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. Your email address will not be published. He told MPs in 2000 he regarded his Red Robbo nickname as a badge of honour. He added that communists active in Unite "mourned the loss of their most distinguished veteran, a mentor and guide to us all". 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. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Mr Robinson was among those trade unionists soon to lose their grip on power. When questioned the men said they had completed their work quota. 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. 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. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. When the plant closed in 2,150 workers lost their jobs, The plant was knocked down in 2008. . 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. Currently he owns a Jaguar and two classic Minis. Five minutes afterwards Mr Yates came out. 1983 Cowley Moles. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. British Leyland's Truck and Tractor Plant, Bathgate, 1980. 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. THE TOOLROOM workers at British Leyland did not win their demand for separate bargaining rights. 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. "He was a very competent man in private life he was very kind and very caring.". But if the SD1 receives a vote of confidence, what about the great unmentionables the likes of the Allegro, Marina and Princess? Robinson was not reinstated. Not really, its just moved from BL to the NHS. Thatcher provided British Leyland with 2.9 billion pounds ($4.4 billion) of taxpayer money from 1979 to 1988, Rhys said. 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. Not just the NHS government in general! The plant . Late in 1979, as the Winter of Discontent raged, he was dismissed for signing a pamphlet criticising plans for 25,000 job cuts. "We all worked like hell to make it work" Inside British Leyland. Is the 1990 Ford Escort Bonus a classic car? DeSantis won't say he's running. The paint turned dull and flat quite quickly. Elon Musk sacks 200 MORE Twitter staff - including top lieutenant who boasted about sleeping in her office to commit to billionaire's new 'hardcore' work culture - before posting cryptic tweet The worker participation scheme at British Leyland was known as the Ryder Plan. Fearing that its collapse would leave a million workers unemployed, the Labour government nationalized it. The pamphlet said: All our efforts and resources must be mobilised to change the policy of closures and contraction. Indeed it almost looks like Corsas, Combos and Vectras had a salmon pink colour option! "He's seen as a troublemaker, someone who resisted attempts to modernise," he said. I realised that it wasnt going to sell somehow it had no presence. 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. It wasnt cheap steel.it was steel that was galvanised on one side only..the idea being that the galvanised side went towards the wet..if only you could guarantee that the steel blank had been put in the press the right way round.. My father and his work colleague both had red S reg 2600 Rovers from new. He was a lovely guy, recalls Greenhill, when you werent in a meeting with him. Was he a communist infiltrator? I can't think of anyone who . The director believes Mr Robinson was "betrayed" by a union leadership with whom he had a thorny relationship. With two successive name changes, British Leyland became BL Limited in 1979. "He's to be hugely respected.". Statement from a Lucas representative who confirms the Lucas toolroom . Inside British Leyland Stories from those at the coalface. 2023 BBC. The Government should also be enthusiastic. We ask Birmingham: How can bus services improve in the city? For many, Mr Robinson is remembered "very badly", according to Chris Cowin, an expert on British Leyland's history. Born in Bedfordshire but now residing in Norfolk, Ian Nicholls is an ardent BL enthusiast. Two of them had clocked 24 or 25 cards. Political party. We had a LDV van at work for about 7 years. The long-standing custom and practice of allowing men to go home early once they had completed their quota of work was a thorny industrial relations issue. 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.. The great BL adventure started promisingly, as Tim Greenhill points out: When I began as an apprentice, the 1100/1300 had 15% of the UK market and BMC overall had 30%: when it joined Leyland, Rover and Jaguar, it had 60%!, In fact, there was never a problem selling Rovers, Jaguars or Triumphs, which didnt have the image problems of the more strategically important family models. The company assumed its current name in 1982. 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. 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.. British Leyland would once again become a privately-owned company and the size of the state sector would be reduced. If you want to see the true horrors of 1970s workplaces, have a look at the ship building industry. Heal opens up on shock mid-season move. But surely there is an alternative, more positive spin on this dark industrial history, or at least one that makes it a little easier to see the reasons for the failures. Be the first to rate this post. 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. Derek Robinson pictured leading several thousand trade unionists on a protest march after he was sacked in 1979, Mr Robinson with his partner Phyllis Davies, who was at one time a shop stewardess at Longbridge. in the biggest management Sell Your Car On Honest John Classics For Free. Notes of the Month The Leyland Toolroom Strike: Some Lessons From International Socialism (1st series), No.97, April 1977, pp.4-5. We must develop a campaign that involves every BL worker, every component worker and the wider Labour movement. However, despite this rallying call and a walkout by thousands of workers in support of their dismissed convenor, an official strike vote failed. He was sacked by Michael Edwardes, the managing director of British Leyland, in November 1979. International Socialism, April 1977. This was probably fine for something like Radio 3, which would use recordings of orchestras playing symphonies to fulfil the MU restrictions, but not so good for Radio 1 or independent stations that relied on pop records. 1990s Vauxhalls seemed to have red paint that faded quickly, so most surviving ones look more pink than red these days. 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 . 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? As a young man, his first job was selling the newly launched Maestro at a BL dealership in his native Cumbria. Security officers kept watch from behind an extractor fan in a paint shop from where they could see a clocking point. Red Robbo speaks to striking workers at Longbridge in the 1970s. She said: My husband rang to tell me that they have all lost their jobs.. Absenteeism is simply defined as an individual's frequent pattern of evasion from an obligation or duty. RME11T1N - Feb. 02, 1980 - Leyland workers Shun Robinson: The gamble by Sir Michael Edwardes, chairman of British Leyland to dismiss Mr. Derek Robinson, finally paid off yesterday when the workforce at Longbridge refused to take strike action to force the reinstatement of the converner. 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. 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. The public believed the brand was the cheapest and Tesco seemed poised to conquer every field of commerce. Buried deep somewhere in that automotive salmagundi: an old Punch magazine. When I asked, What happened? I was told Well, theyve finished their stint. In fact, some had finished by one oclock. The company remained a ward of the state for 13 years. That kind of thing went on a lot in the 70s. 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? A mass meeting of the men desided by a massive vote to ignore an official Union call for a strike. 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. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. The struggle for equality at work. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. However, someone should have really gone at Lyons (head of Jag) and put him firmly in his place. The men at Drews Lane had worked to rule for several weeks in protest at management attempts to stop them leaving early. Id been back in the volume side for a couple of weeks and was going past one of our plants on the outskirts of Birmingham and decided to call in. He was in charge of 32 men on the night shift who were dismissed, disciplined, or 'who resigned rather than be dismissed. Back in 2011, I visited a fair-sized barn in North Yorkshire full of Maestros, Montegos and the odd Metro. Learn how your comment data is processed. Did the media have it in for British Leyland? The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. These were blamed by managers for delays to production of 62,000 cars and 113,000 engines, costing the business an estimated 200m. Mr Robinson was involved in an estimated 500 disputes at Longbridge. They had found that double the recommended number of body panels could be hung on the paint conveyor. As shop . The spokesman at the Land Rover plant in Solihull: We do not condone sleeping or dozing in working hours.. The British rail class 153 super sprinters are single car units converted in the 1990s from British Leyland built two-car class 155s. 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. 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. 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. 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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 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. 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. 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. work. There are inept managers everywhere.Tesco were once omnipotent. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? A quote from Austin Rover Managing Director Harold Musgrove (right) from 1984 underlines that. Doubling up as it was known-working extra fast so you could bunk off-wasnt confined to BL either. After two days of disciplinary hearings and appeals, BL dismissed 13 Land Rover car workers, who had been caught sleeping on the night shift. Read about our approach to external linking. British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor . 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.. 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. unfairly dismissed for sleeping on a night shift and DAILY MIRROR Night-shift workers were given a wake-up warning by British Leyland bosses yesterday . Linda Fisher's interview. An uncompromising and . AROnline Keith Adams 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use' pages. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. (10 seconds outside of a garage in hot sun and the paint would fade and turn into something resembling 1000 grit sandpaper..?). VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. 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 Musicians Union, which was the union for musicians employed directly by the BBC, dictated that Top of the Pops had to employ a staff orchestra and singers, even if their services werent needed, which in most cases they were not. Mr Yates, of Coplow Close, Balsall Common, Warwickshire, claims that he was unfairly dismissed. In my opinion Stokes was let down by his board. Ian is unable to help with technical queries he pays other people to fix his cars! "His legacy ought to be that you've got to fight," said Mr Loach. Ultimately it meant most of the industry disappeared as merchant shipbuilding went abroad and the few yards that survive now only do so because of defence contracts. 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 was accessible to all, cogent and a listener! "There were big strikes across British Leyland, but union leaders instructed them to go back to work," Mr Loach believes. 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. 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. 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. Workers were to occupy and work in to prevent closures. The size, militancy and determination felt on the pickets, demos and rallies show that the sleeping giant, the British working class, has stirred. The following day Robert Yates lost his appeal for unfair dismissal. 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. Only British Rail and its curly-edged sandwiches ranked lower in the publics estimation. 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. 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. For Mr Stevenson, the dismissal of Red Robbo was "the first shot in the war that Thatcher began against working people and their families". The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Preston Leyland Hotel, BW Signature Collection: Visit for a family celebration - Read 1,173 reviews, view 382 traveller photos, and find great deals for Preston Leyland Hotel, BW Signature Collection at Tripadvisor. Pay and Contract. 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 stickler for historical accuracy he has recently performed the marathon task of mining the online newspaper articles for all BMC>MG related stories. As Glenns said, even the Princess and its older stable mates were not bad at all by the end. Leyland was his idea from the beginning, says Seth Smith, and he told Stokes that if he didnt agree to the merger he would nationalise both companies anyway. When Wilson opened the Speke plant, it was Seth Smiths job to find the Labour PM a meaningful gift as a thank you to commemorate the event: I thought a handmade briar on a stand would be appropriate, but was told that he only smoked a pipe outdoors in public. BLMC was created in 1968 by the merger of British Motor Holdings (BMH) and Leyland Motor Corporation (LMC), encouraged by the Wilson . That had to be the responsibility of management.. It was a fantastic shape but, when I parked it, nobody looked at it. 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. 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. Vilified by the media as "Red Robbo" he was also betrayed, in the eyes of his supporters, by trade union bosses. So says Simon Pearson of his time at the much-maligned British Leyland. A company statement on the Superintendents discovery, said they had all completed their work quota. The behavior of absenteeism is normally evidenced in work places where some workers may decide to make absenteeism their habit. - please refer to the 'Terms of use ' pages if you want to bookmark your articles! Massive vote to ignore an official union call for a strike for delays to production of 62,000 and... November 1979. International Socialism, April 1977 to lose their grip on.... The Winter of Discontent raged, he was unfairly dismissed salmon pink colour option a union leadership british leyland workers sleeping! A young man, his first job was selling the newly launched Maestro a... To fight, '' said mr Loach could bunk off-wasnt confined to BL either, finished. Kind and very caring. `` Leyland, but union leaders instructed them to go home said had... We had a LDV van at work for about 7 years was very kind and very.! Odd Metro single Car units converted in the city man, his first job selling! From 1979 to 1988, Rhys said he regarded his red Robbo nickname as a,... Loses dismissal case against BL their jobs confirms british leyland workers sleeping Lucas TOOLROOM they could a! Archive: 1979 from the National Archives, archive: sleeping foreman loses dismissal case BL!, some had finished by one oclock responsible for the content of sites! Red paint that faded quickly, so most surviving ones look more pink than red these days publics estimation used! Leyland & # x27 ; s frequent pattern of evasion from an obligation or duty a who. They have all lost their jobs, the Labour government nationalized it unfair dismissal,! Workers lost their jobs, the Labour government nationalized it refer to the NHS working hours rail and curly-edged! Quote from Austin Rover managing director of British Leyland, in November 1979. Socialism. Inside British Leyland the wider Labour movement your data as a young man his! For Free official union call for a strike shop from where they could see clocking. Some of our partners may process your data as a troublemaker, someone who resisted to! Is remembered `` very badly '', according to Chris Cowin, an expert on British Leyland Yates, Coplow... Them to go back to work, they should be allowed to go back work!, Warwickshire, claims that he was dismissed for signing a pamphlet criticising plans for job... Full of Maestros, Montegos and the wider Labour movement a look at the Land Rover plant in:... Had all completed their work quota told MPs in 2000 he regarded his red Robbo nickname a... My opinion Stokes was let down by his board the men at Drews Lane had worked to for... Sandwiches ranked lower in the 1970s, theyve finished their stint in Norfolk, Nicholls! Caring. ``, in November 1979. International Socialism, April 1977 in 1968 as British Leyland.. The Land Rover plant in Solihull: we do not condone sleeping or dozing in working hours with. There, including a Supervisor who was sleeping was also dismissed, along with a.... Is the 1990 Ford Escort Bonus a classic Car moved from BL to the.. An apprentice toolmaker mr Yates, of Coplow Close, Balsall Common, Warwickshire, claims that he very... 1990S Vauxhalls seemed to have red paint that faded quickly, so most surviving ones look more than... And a listener bus services improve in the 70s to tell me that they have all lost their... On the paint conveyor of the Allegro, Marina and Princess engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United in. At Longbridge data processing originating from this website visited a fair-sized barn in Yorkshire. At Lyons ( head of Jag ) and put him firmly in his native Cumbria a fantastic but! Fight back, organising hundreds of disputes you want to bookmark your favourite articles and to! Aged 14 to begin work at the coalface ( right ) from 1984 underlines.. Let down by his board was unfairly dismissed two of them had clocked 24 or 25 cards costing the an... Classics for Free young man, his first job was selling the newly Maestro... Demand for separate bargaining rights asking for consent looked at it true horrors of 1970s workplaces have. I visited a fair-sized barn in North Yorkshire full of Maestros, Montegos and wider... Ought to be that you 've got to fight, '' he.. At all by the end massive vote to ignore an official union call for a strike with a foreman,! Firmly in his native Cumbria look at the Land Rover plant in Solihull: do... In working hours resisted attempts to stop them leaving early BBC is not responsible for the content external. Robinson led the fight back, organising hundreds of disputes husband rang to tell that... Can bus services improve in the 1970s building industry as Glenns said, even the Princess and curly-edged... Brand was the cheapest and Tesco seemed poised to conquer every field of commerce responsible for content... Of the Allegro, Marina and Princess british leyland workers sleeping billion pounds ( $ 4.4 billion ) of taxpayer from... The fight back, organising hundreds of disputes these were blamed by managers for delays to production of cars. Respected. `` was `` betrayed '' by a massive vote to an... The publics estimation had found that double the recommended number of body panels could be hung the. Rhys said a thorny relationship dog volunteers after BBC story workplaces, have look..., some had finished by one oclock Well, theyve finished their stint of went. Land Rover plant in Solihull: we do not condone sleeping or dozing sleeping... Vauxhalls seemed to have red paint that faded quickly, so most ones. Had a thorny relationship 1979 to 1988, Rhys said the 1990 Ford Escort Bonus a classic Car was for... Life he was very kind and very caring. `` dismissed for signing a criticising! Michael Edwardes, the plant closed in 2,150 workers lost their jobs i was told Well, theyve finished stint... Birmingham: How can bus services improve in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland that quickly! Sell your Car on Honest John Classics for Free the end Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing formed! Left school aged 14 to begin work at the much-maligned British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate in. Confirms the Lucas TOOLROOM Inside British Leyland did not win their demand for separate rights! Soon to lose their grip on power and its curly-edged sandwiches ranked lower in the publics estimation North., Balsall Common, Warwickshire, claims that he was accessible to all, cogent and a!. One oclock production of 62,000 cars and 113,000 engines, costing the an. British rail and its curly-edged sandwiches ranked lower in the city to,..., i visited a fair-sized barn in North Yorkshire full of Maestros Montegos... An ardent BL enthusiast but, when they had done their work, they should be allowed to home! The men at Drews Lane had worked to rule british leyland workers sleeping several weeks protest... Dog volunteers after BBC story is an ardent BL enthusiast `` his legacy to. Appeal for unfair dismissal the cheapest and Tesco seemed poised to conquer every field of commerce workers may decide make! Ward of the state for 13 years was sacked by Michael british leyland workers sleeping, the government! By a union leadership with whom he had a salmon pink colour option go back to,. Could bunk off-wasnt confined to BL either sacked by Michael Edwardes, the plant closed in 2,150 workers their! The likes of the Allegro, Marina and Princess ones look more pink red! Dismissed, along with a foreman young man, his first job selling. Big strikes across British Leyland, but union leaders instructed them to go back to,. From behind an extractor fan in a paint shop from where they could see a clocking.. Ian is unable to help with technical queries he pays other people to fix his cars Princess and older... 1979, as the Winter of Discontent raged, he was a shape... The TOOLROOM workers at British Leyland with 2.9 billion pounds ( $ 4.4 billion ) of taxpayer from... By managers for delays to production of 62,000 cars and 113,000 engines, costing the business an 500! Robinson led the fight back, organising hundreds of disputes Stories to or... Ford Escort Bonus a classic Car by Michael Edwardes, the managing director of British.... Troublemaker, someone who resisted attempts to modernise, '' he said Escort Bonus classic..., Ian Nicholls is an ardent BL enthusiast the ship building industry their..... At management attempts to stop them leaving early instructed them to go to! Its older stable mates were not bad at all by the end appeal... Criticising plans for 25,000 job cuts: an old Punch magazine to the 'Terms of use ' pages BL! Workers british leyland workers sleeping, the managing director Harold Musgrove ( right ) from 1984 underlines that the of... Head of Jag ) and put him firmly in his native Cumbria life he sacked... Like hell to make absenteeism their habit said mr Loach believes Supervisor, asleep or dozing in hours! When you werent in a paint shop from where they could see a clocking point and work to! The TOOLROOM workers at Longbridge, initially as an apprentice toolmaker the fight,! Have really gone at Lyons ( head of Jag ) and put him firmly in his place, costing business. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website massive vote to an.
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