The concessions' made to'London bAsmen by the London Passenger Transport
Board, and specified in the' agreement concluded between the Board and the Transport and General Workers' Union on Tuesday, amount to little more than what was offered to the men before the strike began, and nothing more than what was theirs for the asking immediately after the Court of Inquiry had made its report. The new agreement is a long and complicated document, establishing substantially better conditions of work Than the old one which expired in May. On the question of speeding up, the original cause of the dispute, a more humane method of dealing with grievances is to be adopted. On the allied problems of meal-times, early morning work, and weekly rest-days, the Board has also made valuable concessions. Moreover, money hitherto paid as bonuses to men who have been free from accidents will now be consolidated in wages, though only after a six-months' interval. A most important clause of the agreement provides that disputes over its interpretation shall be referred to a board of referees with an independent chairman. (Independent representatives could be profitably attached also to, the body which is due to inquire into the health of the busmen—a matter outside the scope of this agreement.) The settlement is a triumph for the good sense of Mr. Bevin and other Union officials. It remains to be seen whether the recalcitrant elements on the deposed Bus Committee will carry their opposition to the point of revolt.
* * * *
Previous page
