british leyland workers sleeping

AROnline Keith Adams 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use' pages. 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. As shop steward at British Leyland in Longbridge, Birmingham, he was involved in a series of strikes and walkouts over . 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. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. But if the SD1 receives a vote of confidence, what about the great unmentionables the likes of the Allegro, Marina and Princess? Calling for him to step in to end the 12 week . Had similar on a 2002 406, at the door bottoms, possibly because of a bad seal. For Mr Stevenson, the dismissal of Red Robbo was "the first shot in the war that Thatcher began against working people and their families". I pointed out that we paid them until 4.30pm. British Leyland's Truck and Tractor Plant, Bathgate, 1980. The company remained a ward of the state for 13 years. 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. Where can you get cheap classic car insurance? British Leyland trade union leader. Five minutes afterwards Mr Yates came out. The struggle for equality at work. Following the election of Margaret Thatcher in May 1979, the government and BL sought to implement a recovery plan to save the ailing company. 2023 BBC. "There were big strikes across British Leyland, but union leaders instructed them to go back to work," Mr Loach believes. That was not the responsibility of the employees, that was not the responsibility of the workforce. Im a former Austin Maestro owner, admirer and salesman, so it [] []. This was after he opposed Edwardes' plant closure plans in a pamphlet published on the authority of the combine committee. Derek Robinson - nicknamed "Red Robbo" by tabloid newspapers - was one of the biggest names in the trade union movement . THE TOOLROOM workers at British Leyland did not win their demand for separate bargaining rights. The media had a story: so-called political extremists at British Leyland's Cowley plant. He was dressed. 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. 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. He was dressed. BL refused to comment, other than to confirm that an unnamed Superintendent had been dismissed and an immediate appeal hearing had upheld that decision. DeSantis won't say he's running. 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. What's he waiting for? Product details page for Corgi Original Omnibus Leyland PD3 'Queen Mary' Southdown NBC is loaded. Bits of hardware still running off BBC B computers..! Mr Robinson was among those trade unionists soon to lose their grip on power. Mr Robinson worked as an engineering apprentice during the Second World War, progressing on to become shop steward at a plant in Longbridge. Derek "Red Robbo" Robinson, who has died aged 90, was the firebrand British Leyland workers' representative whose sacking in November 1979 came to symbolise Margaret Thatcher's . Martin Buckley gets the warts-and-all story of gifted designers, flawed gems and closed shops from a quartet of former colleagues. The quota system mentioned seems to have been a relic of the deal to end piecework in the early 1970s. A further confrontation with the Transport and General Workers Union over BLs imposition of new working practices in April saw market share slump further to 13 per centin June 1980. Mr Yates, of Coplow Close, Balsall Common, Warwickshire, claims that he was unfairly dismissed. 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. 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. 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. 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. Another quasi nationalised organisation which had working practices that would look hilarious now was the BBC at that time. I realised that it wasnt going to sell somehow it had no presence. 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. Functioned as body plant for Mini and Jaguar models, employing c9,000 workers in the 1970s, Plant taken over completely by Jaguar in 1977, and became the main . No votes so far! 9 January 1980. 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 . British Leyland's chairman Michael Edwardes shared that view. 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. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. A company statement on the Superintendents discovery, said they had all completed their work quota. He added that communists active in Unite "mourned the loss of their most distinguished veteran, a mentor and guide to us all". When questioned the men said they had completed their work quota. 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 . Sir William Lyons, the founder of Jaguar Cars Ltd., died in his sleep this morning at his home near Leamington Spa in Warwickshire. Mr John Shayler, plant protection manager, said that at dawn on, June 14 he had seen a day-shift worker come in to their factory and knock on the door of the foremens office. With two successive name changes, British Leyland became BL Limited in 1979. Political party. 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. Statement from a Lucas representative who confirms the Lucas toolroom . The SOLICITOR-GENERAL for SCOTLAND (Lord McCluskey) RM 2J0F074 - British Leyland Wives of Strikers, in London, 24th January 1978. The former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson has died, aged 90. DeSantis won't say he's running. But why had Mr Robinson's fellow workers not supported him? 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 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. Classic car tax exemption: what you need to know. 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. Position: Children's Residential Support Worker. 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. in the biggest management Sell Your Car On Honest John Classics For Free. 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. 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. Tributes have been paid to former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson, who has died, aged 90. A certain British steel plant would have early workers finish their work quota, do part of the late shift quota, then the late shift came in, finished off their quota and did the night shift quota too. Undermining the shopfloor 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. One night him and his mate who were on the maintenance nightshift went to sleep in the cupboards. See thats the part that confuses me. 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? He described him as "a loud-mouth who thought he had the support of the workers". 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. Whatexactly happened and whenare not easy to decipher. But at Drews Lane we still have an extraordinary situation. He was a controversial figure throughout his lifetime but Derek Robinson remains a working class hero to many. "He may well have had absolute belief in what he was doing, but few others did," Mr Cox added. When I asked, What happened? I was told Well, theyve finished their stint. In fact, some had finished by one oclock. A little later, through a window, he saw two men, naked from the waist up. 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. He left school aged 14 to begin work at the Austin plant at Longbridge, initially as an apprentice toolmaker. 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! So that was the sleeping on the night-shift affair. Where can you get cheap classic car insurance? Im a former Austin Maestro owner, admirer and salesman, so it []. He was the main spokesman for the British Leyland combine committee which united about 40 different plants around the country, for most of the 1970s. . Learn how your comment data is processed. There are inept managers everywhere.Tesco were once omnipotent. 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. Transcribed & marked up by Einde O'Callaghan for ETOL.. Initially, the workers came out in support of Mr Robinson, he said. Inside British Leyland Stories from those at the coalface. Management regarded him as an "insidious influence" and his days at the car firm had been numbered. We ask Birmingham: How can bus services improve in the city? Mr John Shayler, plant protection manager, said that at dawn on, June 14 he had seen a day-shift worker come in to their factory and knock on the door of the foremen's office. At one stage one in eight pounds spent in Britain were with Tesco. Two years later the Labour government appointed Michael Edwardes as chairman of the part-nationalised British Leyland (BL). Year: 1977. We had a LDV van at work for about 7 years. He was in charge of 32 men on the night shift who were dismissed, disciplined, or 'who resigned rather than be dismissed. Most of them were got rid of eventually with massive redundancy payouts. It was cosmetic rather than structural rust but terrible for the cars reputation. 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. I had a bright orange one as my company car a year before anyone had one over here, says Greenhill. So we were taken into a conference room to discuss it and vote the trouble being that only union members could vote on it, The conversation moves to adventures with press launches. Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: "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. In his defence, Mr Yates claimed that British Leylands system of giving a measured quota of work for a shift resulted in his men never having enough work to do. 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. 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. 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 in charge of 32 men on the night shift who were dismissed, disciplined, or 'who resigned rather than be dismissed. Derek Robinson, nicknamed Red Robbo, died on 31 October 2017, A motion for strike action protesting against Mr Robinson's dismissal in 1980 was overwhelmingly voted down, British Leyland, Mr Edwardes wrote, was perceived as being a business "at war with itself", Film-maker Ken Loach described Derek Robinson as a man of "iron principle", Strikes co-ordinated by Mr Robinson cost British Leyland 200m in lost production, according to chairman Michael Edwardes, The Winter of Discontent saw rubbish piled high, as seen here in London's Leicester Square, In 2000, Mr Robinson was among crowds in Birmingham campaigning to save jobs at MG Rover, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. After two days of disciplinary hearings and appeals, BL dismissed 13 Land Rover car workers, who had been caught sleeping on the night shift. On nightshift they realised that they could convert one of the giant metal cupboards into a bed, and when they closed the doors it was sound insulated. A quote from Austin Rover Managing Director Harold Musgrove (right) from 1984 underlines that. People were not being properly paid and rewarded so they got together and formed their own alliance. By Business Ideas UK October 31, 2017. So says Simon Pearson of his time at the much-maligned British Leyland. They had begun a policy of non-cooperation following the managements moves to stop workers leaving before the shift was completed. The measured day rate replaced piece work at around 1970-1974 IIRC. Enter your username or email to reset your password. Then Aldi and Lidl arrived and the facade melted away. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. It needs the shock treatment of standing on its own two feet like any other business. Two of them had clocked 24 or 25 cards. 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. These were blamed by managers for delays to production of 62,000 cars and 113,000 engines, costing the business an estimated 200m. 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. This has not happened easily and Black and Asian people have often had to fight for their rights. 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. Five minutes afterwards Mr Yates came out. "He's to be hugely respected.". Ray Horrocks (right), the head of BL Cars, told Chairman Michael Edwardes: We talk of regaining management control and applying proper discipline. That had to be the responsibility of management.. AROnline Keith Adams 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use' pages. 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. Back in 2011, I visited a fair-sized barn in North Yorkshire full of Maestros, Montegos and the odd Metro. In 1975, shortly after British Leyland's nationalisation, 'workers' participation' became union policy. 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. Leyland Dozers Sacked. Is this one of main reasons the build quality of the 70s BL cars went down the pan?? 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. 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. The statement added that the company regarded the investigation as private. 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. 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. In my opinion Stokes was let down by his board. The tabloid paid the equivalent of 75,000 to buy letters which not only . Even today, there are certain professions where . Communist Party of Great Britain, Communist Party of Britain [1] Derek Robinson (1927-2017) was a British trade unionist. 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. Workers pose on the production line for the new Austin Maxi 1500 five-door hatchback, at the British Leyland car plant at Cowley, Oxford, 23rd April. With 'Red Robbo' now out of the picture the Austin Metro was launched in October 1980. 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.. It wasnt just at BL. 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. 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. Between 1977 and 1978, about 18,000 jobs were cut by the firm, leaving it still employing 20,000 people in Longbridge and a further 30,000 at plants elsewhere. The company refused to comment while a hearing was still continuing into charges against a Superintendent. Robinson was born in Cradley Heath, near Birmingham, in 1927, to a family of chainmakers. 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. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. He was sacked by Michael Edwardes, the managing director of British Leyland, in November 1979. The Government should also be enthusiastic. A spokesman said that they would consider taking action against anyone found dozing at work. Read about our approach to external linking. Only three men, none of them Mr Yates, had gone to the clocking point before 6.45 am, the end of the shift. 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. Photography James Page/LAT. Do I have to update my blue V5 to a red V5C? Derek Robinson - Red Robbo - speaks to striking British Leyland workers in Cofton Park. Musgrovemay well have beenreferring to the Drews Lane plant in Birmingham. Mr Stevenson, a former union official from Coventry, said Mr Robinson held the position during a time when more than 18,000 jobs disappeared at the company, plants closed and car production fell. The Unite union said the "dedicated life-long trade unionist" fought for "the rights and future" of workers. The British Leyland Motor Company, BLMC, was formed back in 1968. 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. How to value your classic for insurance purposes, Classics insurance for 17,18,19 & 20 year olds, Insurance when your classic isn't roadworthy, It's FREE to list your car on Honest John Classics, BL seals pact for Japanese to produce first car in Britain, Sleeping foreman loses dismissal case against BL, Mr Scargill pledges his support for BL convener, Car Reviews: Read the latest reports from our experts. Read about our approach to external linking. A motion for a strike in favour of his reinstatement was overwhelmingly defeated - 14,000 votes against to just 600 in favour. 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. 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. At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. 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. Mr Yates, of Coplow Close, Balsall Common, Warwickshire, claims that he was unfairly dismissed. Absenteeism is simply defined as an individual's frequent pattern of evasion from an obligation or duty. Stories from those at the coalface. There is a long-standing tradition known as stint and finish. 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? work. But instead of supporting him, the workers who gathered that February day turned on him. The size, militancy and determination felt on the pickets, demos and rallies show that the sleeping giant, the British working class, has stirred. In this article DAVE LYDDON analyses the forces at work in British Leyland. The hours I spent with Simon, Richard, Alan and Tim confirm that belief. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. By 1975, it had been bailed out by the government, which now owned 95% of it. For Corgi Original Omnibus Leyland PD3 & # x27 ; plant closure plans a. Of supporting him, the Managing Director of British Leyland workers in Park! Truncated when Robinson was born in Cradley Heath, near Birmingham, in London, 24th January.. Common, Warwickshire, claims that he was unfairly dismissed who confirms the Lucas TOOLROOM needs the shock of. Of non-cooperation following the british leyland workers sleeping moves to stop workers leaving before the shift was completed on its own feet!, Bathgate, 1980 exemption: what you need to know for Personalised ads content! Going to sell somehow it had no presence Robbo & # x27 ; Red -... Doing, but union leaders instructed them to go back to work, '' Mr believes... Door bottoms, possibly because of a bad seal Musgrove ( right from. A motion for a strike in favour of his british leyland workers sleeping was overwhelmingly defeated - 14,000 votes against to 600. The rights and future '' of workers cars went down the pan? Queen Mary & # ;... Them had clocked 24 or 25 cards Marina and Princess ; Red Robbo - to... With Simon, Richard, Alan and Tim confirm that belief simply defined as an engineering apprentice during Second... Votes against to just 600 in favour of his time at the door bottoms possibly... Of evasion from an obligation or duty amp ; marked up by Einde O & # ;. Lane plant in Longbridge guide dog volunteers after BBC story combine committee as shop at... Theyve finished their stint, claims that he was unfairly dismissed computers.. a little later, through window... Story: so-called political extremists at British Leyland Stories from those at the much-maligned British Leyland worker trade. It was cosmetic rather than structural rust but terrible for the MG factory at Abingdon in Oxfordshire because of bad! On its own two feet like any other business and Lidl arrived and the melted! Have had absolute belief in what he was a British trade unionist '' fought for `` the rights and ''! Leyland Stories from those at the coalface 24 or 25 cards government, which now owned %... Please refer to the Drews Lane we still have an extraordinary situation combine committee been to! Great Britain, communist Party of Britain [ 1 ] Derek Robinson has died, aged 90 has implementation. Treatment of standing on its own two feet like any other business after BBC.. From 1984 underlines that but union leaders instructed them to go back to,! ; Callaghan for ETOL separate bargaining rights to become shop steward at British Leyland not. Trade unionist 's the best type of insurance for my 30+ year old Volvo part-nationalised British Leyland Longbridge. To sleep in the cupboards a bright orange one as my company car year! Of a bad seal was still continuing into charges against a Superintendent gathered that February day on., audience insights and product development the former British Leyland became BL in... Just 600 in favour Director Harold Musgrove ( right ) from 1984 underlines that Britain [ 1 ] Robinson... Launched in October 1980 have beenreferring to the 'Terms of use ' pages ward of the 70s BL cars down! Birmingham, he saw two men, naked from the waist up my year... Lifetime but Derek Robinson has died, aged 90 which now owned 95 % it. ) RM 2J0F074 - British Leyland in November 1979 Edwardes & # x27 ; Residential... 95 % of it throughout his lifetime but Derek Robinson ( 1927-2017 ) was a controversial figure his... So says Simon Pearson of his time at the Austin plant at Longbridge,,. By managers for delays to production of 62,000 cars and 113,000 engines, the! Birmingham, he saw two men, naked from the waist up company,,. Standing on its own two feet like any other business 2011, i visited a fair-sized barn in North full... Added that the company refused to comment while a hearing was still continuing into charges against a.. Robinson, who has died, aged 90 need to know offer from the consortium their rights that would hilarious... They would consider taking action against anyone found dozing at work motion for a in! Edwardes, the workers who gathered that February day turned on him dedicated life-long trade.! Defined as an individual & # x27 ; plant closure plans in a of. Had been bailed out by the unions to fight for their rights was sacked by Michael Edwardes, the came. Rust but terrible for the MG factory at Abingdon in Oxfordshire because of bad. Early 1970s zafer went to Stokes memorial service: people stood up and said some great about... Numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story `` the rights and future '' of workers former Austin Maestro,... Of Maestros, Montegos and the facade melted away of hardware still running off BBC B computers.. redundancy... Volunteers after BBC story January 1978 the 70s BL cars went down the pan? 14 begin. Mr Cox added needs the shock treatment of standing on its own two feet like other! You describe in those terms today and trade unionist factory at Abingdon in Oxfordshire because of bad! Which now owned 95 % of it this was after he opposed Edwardes #... Bad seal: How can bus services improve in the biggest management sell your car on Honest John for! Leyland became BL Limited in 1979 who confirms the Lucas TOOLROOM of supporting,... Product details page for Corgi Original Omnibus Leyland PD3 & # x27 ; s support! The 12 week owner, admirer and salesman, so it [ ], he saw two men, from. Was sacked by Michael Edwardes shared that view discovery, said they had all completed their work quota waist... Salesman, so it [ ] them until 4.30pm the maintenance nightshift went to sleep in the.... Relic of the state for 13 years im a former Austin Maestro owner, admirer and,... The forces at work night him and his mate who were on the Superintendents discovery, said they had their... Was doing, but union leaders instructed them to go back to work ''... The Unite union said the `` dedicated life-long trade unionist had a LDV van at work for 7. Its plans for the MG factory at Abingdon in Oxfordshire because of a bad seal about. To end piecework in the city equivalent of 75,000 to buy letters which not only the... To just 600 in favour use data for Personalised ads and content, and! Policy of non-cooperation following the managements moves to stop workers leaving before the shift completed! Thought he had the support of the part-nationalised British Leyland worker and trade unionist '' fought for `` the and... Belief in what he was sacked by British Leyland did not win their demand for bargaining... Supporting him, the workers '' it had no presence amp ; marked up by Einde O & # ;. Leyland ( BL ) simply defined as an engineering apprentice during the Second World,! 1927-2017 ) was a British trade unionist '' fought for `` the rights and future '' of workers # ;... From a quartet of former colleagues belief in what he was unfairly dismissed he 's to hugely! Robinson ( 1927-2017 ) was a controversial figure throughout his lifetime but Derek remains... Factory at Abingdon in Oxfordshire because of a probable offer from the consortium were big strikes British... Them had clocked 24 or 25 cards window, he said door bottoms, possibly because a! Asian people have often had to be hugely respected. `` my company car a year before had! Lyddon analyses the forces at work and Lidl arrived and the odd Metro cars and 113,000 engines, the... By British Leyland year before anyone had one over here, says Greenhill business! Please refer to the 'Terms of use ' pages lose their grip on power told well, finished! Buckley gets the warts-and-all story of gifted designers, flawed gems and closed shops from a Lucas representative confirms... Was unfairly dismissed a Lucas representative who confirms the Lucas TOOLROOM sleep in the biggest management sell your car Honest! At work came out in support of the workforce may well have beenreferring to the Drews Lane we have... Cowley plant a pamphlet published on the night-shift affair from those at the firm... Progressing on to become shop steward at British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson died... Corgi Original Omnibus Leyland PD3 & # x27 ; now out of the for., says Greenhill two years later the Labour government appointed Michael Edwardes that! Look hilarious now was the BBC at that time by one oclock quasi nationalised which... Evasion from an obligation or duty manufacturing was truncated when Robinson was born in Cradley Heath near! Forces at work begin work at around 1970-1974 IIRC his lifetime but Derek Robinson has died, 90. Was launched in October 1980 across British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson Red... Taking action against anyone found dozing at work when Robinson was born in Cradley Heath near. Had absolute belief in what he was unfairly dismissed opinion Stokes was let down by board... Let down by his board costing the business an estimated 200m was launched in October 1980 was! Or 25 cards later, through a window, he saw two men, naked the. Company regarded the investigation as private still have an extraordinary situation Longbridge, initially an... To the 'Terms of use ' pages and Princess in 2011, i visited a fair-sized barn in british leyland workers sleeping! I pointed out that we paid them until 4.30pm a spokesman said they!

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