In the 1980s and 90s, Mr Robinson worked as a tutor in trade union studies, teaching shop stewards. Enter your username or email to reset your password. 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 . 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. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Fourteen night shift men caught sleeping at a British Leyland plant have been sacked , a wife claimed last night. Good condition, owner's inscription on flyleaf. 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? But by this time British Leylands crisis had become existential, extending beyond the ongoing battle with its unions. Two of them had clocked 24 or 25 cards. 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. But instead of supporting him, the workers who gathered that February day turned on him. The company assumed its current name in 1982. Archive : 1979 from the National Archives, Archive : Sleeping foreman loses dismissal case against BL. This year's foundling is British Leyland's first new Rover sedan in 13 years. Kearsley has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the cars, down to the colour names and options, combined with a strong urge to save these underdogs. Derek Robinson - nicknamed "Red Robbo" by tabloid newspapers - was one of the biggest names in the trade union movement . "But they are going to appeal against the decision. When I asked, What happened? I was told Well, theyve finished their stint. In fact, some had finished by one oclock. The pamphlet said: All our efforts and resources must be mobilised to change the policy of closures and contraction. 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. after annual holidays (see 5 July). These were dark times indeed.Harold Musgrove. 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. He left school aged 14 to begin work at the Austin plant at Longbridge, initially as an apprentice toolmaker. 2023 BBC. So that was the sleeping on the night-shift affair. 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. 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. 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 Communist Party then dominated the factory's workforce, with many hundred Daily Workers [newspaper] being sold every day," he wrote in his blog. The Unite union said the "dedicated life-long trade unionist" fought for "the rights and future" of workers. Learn how your comment data is processed. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Product details page for Corgi Original Omnibus Leyland PD3 'Queen Mary' Southdown NBC is loaded. Where can you get quick classic car insurance quotes? 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. They made BL look like rank amateurs. Then Aldi and Lidl arrived and the facade melted away. Even today, there are certain professions where . The measured day rate replaced piece work at around 1970-1974 IIRC. 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 . After a tip-off by the News of the World newspaper, senior managers the previous week carried out a surprise inspection of the night shift in a paint priming shop. 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, 90,000 BL workers to get copies of 'ultimatum', Where a lack of incentives is a barrier to productivity, BL dealer network near collapse after defections to European car groups, BL dismisses chairman of shop stewards' committee, Car Reviews: Read the latest reports from our experts. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. To be tasked with promoting these products was one of motorings more challenging and exciting jobs, and it attracted a group of talented, ambitious, energetic and creative young people, just four of whom I have the pleasure of meeting in a West End pub. 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. "His legacy ought to be that you've got to fight," said Mr Loach. 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. 20 illustrated plate. Ian is unable to help with technical queries he pays other people to fix his cars! An uncompromising and . The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Judge for yourself. Is this one of main reasons the build quality of the 70s BL cars went down the pan?? 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. When former Triumph and Leyland Special Tuning man Richard Seth Smith arrives, proffering a rare Rover SD1 press pack, all concerned nod sagely at the suggestion that this was yet another brilliantly conceived but indifferently executed car. The biggest problem was scabs of rust breaking through the paint all over the car within a couple of years. Continue with Recommended Cookies. We ask Birmingham: How can bus services improve in the city? Initially, the workers came out in support of Mr Robinson, he said. Leyland Dozers Sacked. That was not the responsibility of the employees, that was not the responsibility of the workforce. A company statement on the Superintendents discovery, said they had all completed their work quota. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Classic car tax exemption: what you need to know. 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. Lancashire's workers have increased the amount of hours they put in by 1.5% since . Two of them had clocked 24 or 25 cards. 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.. My god it was awful, it was bought . 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. As shop steward at British Leyland in Longbridge, Birmingham, he was involved in a series of strikes and walkouts over . The former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson has died, aged 90. Yet surely using cheap steel on what was classed as an upmarket product was a big mistake and the Lancia joined the lesser Fiat Strada on the list of cars to avoid due to premature rust. 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. Currently he owns a Jaguar and two classic Minis. 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. British Leyland would once again become a privately-owned company and the size of the state sector would be reduced. A British Leyland workers' co-op would be a splendid opportunity to test his suggestion. If you want to see the true horrors of 1970s workplaces, have a look at the ship building industry. Had a nice blue pearlescent paint that never matched properly, sold it with the bodged paintwork at a loss. BL refused to comment, other than to confirm that an unnamed Superintendent had been dismissed and an immediate appeal hearing had upheld that decision. 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. Underinvestment and a lack of new models had resulted in BLs car market share falling dramatically. The case against me was brought following publicity and not on the facts.. We all worked like hell to make it work Inside British Leyland. Rate replaced piece work at the Austin plant at Longbridge, initially as an apprentice toolmaker statement the! Trade unionist '' fought for `` the rights and future '' of workers originating from this website and! Articles and stories to read or reference later of closures and contraction facade melted away to fight ''! 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