Unions seek talks with Leyland on participation

By Our Midland Industrial Correspondent

National officials and shop stewards of the motor unions are seeking an urgent meeting with Mr Alec Park, managing director of British Leyland, to discuss the setting up of the joint management/union councils recommended by the Ryder Report. The move follows a meeting in Birmingham yesterday of 500 British Leyland shop stewards. They were addressed by Mr Moss Evans and Mr Grenville Hawlev, the Transport & General Workers' Union top motor industry negotiators and Mr Bob Wright, Midland member of the national executive of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers.

At a press conference later Mr Wright said: "We are critical of the Ryder proposals on worker participation because they could be interpreted as stopping short of actual participation in decision making at the highest level. There are provisions for joint committees in the car and truck companies but nothing at corporate level."

He said the union wanted "a full say" in how the proposed £2000m government investment should he used. Mr Wright. said he was not referring to worker representation on British Leyland's main board. That was a separate issue to the setting up of joiint committees. But he hinted that the unions are pressing the Government in consultation with the TUC to nominate one or more Levland directors representing organized labour.