One factor perhaps not widely understood is that chronic under-investment meant that many major components were being built on pre-war tooling, whereas the Germans, for example, had all the latest kit. Only British Rail and its curly-edged sandwiches ranked lower in the publics estimation. So that was the sleeping on the night-shift affair. Undermining the shopfloor Most of them were got rid of eventually with massive redundancy payouts. The director believes Mr Robinson was "betrayed" by a union leadership with whom he had a thorny relationship. 2023 BBC. He hopes his friend will be remembered as "one of those stalwarts in the post-war era that maintained a better life for ordinary people", not as an "agitator" or "destroyer" which he said was "a complete invention". The former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson has died, aged 90. In the morning when they woke up they had large banging on the door it was the police. Hello there we are looking for witnesses to the fire next door can you help. 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. Initially, the workers came out in support of Mr Robinson, he said. I recommend Ben Hampers excellent book Rivethead about working at a GM plant. 2023 BBC. Communist Party of Great Britain, Communist Party of Britain [1] Derek Robinson (1927-2017) was a British trade unionist. A survey by a Superintendent at Oxford Exhausts, a factory making most of BLs exhaust systems and petrol tanks, found employees, dozing in various parts of the factory.. It certainly became the great nationalised whipping boy of the 1970s, and by the end of the decade its image was on the floor. 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. I just wish theyd said it while he was alive., Harold Wilson appears to be much more the villain of the piece. 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. We ask Birmingham: How can bus services improve in the city? E 21 Government approves 30 million as first tranche of 100 million investment funds to British British Leyland s Rover workers at Solihull Leyland. VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Covid origin likely China lab incident - FBI chief, Ukraine war casts shadow over India's G20 ambitions, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, India anti-corruption crusader fighting to clear his name, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. He will give evidence today. This kind of thing was riff everywhere. "His legacy ought to be that you've got to fight," said Mr Loach. Where can you get cheap classic car insurance? The idea was that they should be able to make triple time: do each job in a third of the time allowed which meant that by half past two everyone would pack up and bugger off home!, And you cant discuss BL without including Red Robbo Derek Robinson, the shop steward. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Known for. The Daily Mail claimed that the car firm British Leyland was paying bribes, and was exposed for printing a ludicrous hoax. 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. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. 1970 Ferrari 512M track test Group 5 great driven at Paul Ricard, Driving the legendary Bentley 3 Litre and Bentley 4 Litre. This British Leyland collection is diverse, huge and full of interest. 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. As shop steward at British Leyland in Longbridge, Birmingham, he was involved in a series of strikes and walkouts over alleged mismanagement. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. But the car giant had been hit hard by post-war economic struggles and had developed a reputation for producing low-quality cars. 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 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. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. He was in charge of 32 men on the night shift who were dismissed, disciplined, or 'who resigned rather than be dismissed. Two of them had clocked 24 or 25 cards. Following his dismissal, Mr Robinson worked as a tutor in trade union studies during the 1980s and 1990s, teaching shop stewards. Derek 'Red Robbo' Robinson led a long-running battle against management at the British Leyland plant in Longbridge throughout the 1970s. He was dressed. The Unite union said the "dedicated life-long trade unionist" fought for "the rights and future" of workers. The statement added that the company regarded the investigation as private. Furthermore most of their fathers, uncles, etc. Underinvestment and a lack of new models had resulted in BLs car market share falling dramatically. Had a nice blue pearlescent paint that never matched properly, sold it with the bodged paintwork at a loss. 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. 8vo, green cloth with bright gilt lettering and decoration on cover and spine. Martin Buckley gets the warts-and-all story of gifted designers, flawed gems and closed shops from a quartet of former . A little later, through a window, he saw two men, naked from the waist up. Where can you get quick classic car insurance quotes? 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. Odd we never ever had a BL product..Incidentally Ive never ever seen a red SD1 before.. Did they suffer from the Renault red effect? Vilified by the media as "Red Robbo" he was also betrayed, in the eyes of his supporters, by trade union bosses. AROnline Keith Adams 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use' pages. He was credited with causing 523 walkouts at British Leyland between 1978 and 1979, costing an estimated 200 million in lost . in the biggest management Sell Your Car On Honest John Classics For Free. 13 November 1979. 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 . Product details page for Corgi Original Omnibus Leyland PD3 'Queen Mary' Southdown NBC is loaded. A mass meeting of the men desided by a massive vote to ignore an official Union call for a strike. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Ian is unable to help with technical queries he pays other people to fix his cars! 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. Although Edwardes had a reputation as a union basher, Robinson supported the idea of working with him under a policy of participation, whereby unions and management would cooperate on matters of industrial relations. 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. The British rail class 153 super sprinters are single car units converted in the 1990s from British Leyland built two-car class 155s. 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. Security officers kept watch from behind an extractor fan in a paint shop from where they could see a clocking point. In this article DAVE LYDDON analyses the forces at work in British Leyland. 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. He was dressed. Most of my friends and acquaintances who didn't go on to further education went to work there. British Leyland, Britain's largest automaker, faced bankruptcy in 1975. The former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson has died, aged 90. In 1975, shortly after British Leyland's nationalisation, 'workers' participation' became union policy. No votes so far! British Leyland trade union leader. They had found that double the recommended number of body panels could be hung on the paint conveyor. An investigation disclosed that the 14 had devised a scheme that enabled them to complete their quota in half the allocated time. 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. 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. The worker participation scheme at British Leyland was known as the Ryder Plan. Classic car tax exemption: what you need to know. People were not being properly paid and rewarded so they got together and formed their own alliance. for only $11.00 $9.35/page. 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. Fearing that its collapse would leave a million workers unemployed, the Labour government nationalized it. 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. I am worried sick." 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. It wasnt just at BL. Photography James Page/LAT. No mention was made of any disciplinary action against the workers. A combination of poor steel and corrosion, so Lancia werent entirely to blame. Job Type: Permanent, Full-Time. There is a long-standing tradition known as stint and finish. Thatcher provided British Leyland with 2.9 billion pounds ($4.4 billion) of taxpayer money from 1979 to 1988, Rhys said. I can't think of anyone who . Five minutes afterwards Mr Yates came out. In 1975 Robinson succeeded Dick Ethridge, a fellow Communist Party member, as the AEU convenor at Longbridge. Do they take well to polishing, T-Cut, or is a respray the remediation? It was about two oclock in the afternoon. 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. Shop stewards representing various tool room shops meet to discuss how they can support the British Leyland shop and propose a series of one day token strikes. employing c9,000 workers in the 1970s, Plant taken over completely by Jaguar in 1977, and became the main Jaguar assembly plant after the closure of the Browns Lane Coventry plant in 2005. The UCPI is a damage limitation exercise by the British state, established in 2015 after the exposure of widespread use of undercover police agents against political organisations. Linda Fisher's interview. For many, Mr Robinson is remembered "very badly", according to Chris Cowin, an expert on British Leyland's history. A company statement on the Superintendents discovery, said they had all completed their work quota. Says Pearson: We had quite regular contact with DGS as he was known internally. The measured day rate replaced piece work at around 1970-1974 IIRC. 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. Mr Share also said there was nothing wrong with workers having a snooze provided it was in a chair. DAILY MIRROR. So says Simon Pearson of his time at the much-maligned British Leyland. Seth Smith recalls the introduction of the Series III E-type in 1971: We took journalists to Browns Lane and had a nice presentation on the V12 then took them on a tour of the new engine shop. By Chris Hampson. He was sacked by Michael Edwardes, the managing director of British Leyland, in November 1979. Im a former Austin Maestro owner, admirer and salesman, so it [] []. BL still conjures images of half-finished Marinas and Allegros on desolate production lines and a militant workforce that appeared to be looking for any reason to down tools. Ultimately it would become nationalised as British Leyland, often referred to as just BL.In 1986 it was renamed to Rover Group.. History. British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor . The company remained a ward of the state for 13 years. The spokesman at the Land Rover plant in Solihull: We do not condone sleeping or dozing in working hours.. Mr Robinson, one of the most famous trade unionists of the 1970s, was dubbed Red Robbo by the media. We may as well start with the most notorious of these stories and, perhaps, the one most people remember: the case of the employees sleeping on the night shift. "We all worked like hell to make it work" Inside British Leyland. Preventing home working in Pandemic days by nuisance noise is dire dilydaydreamnewneighbours, Opinion : Austin Maestro a tale of unfulfilled promise, Opinion : Celebrating 40 years of the Austin Maestro, Opinion : Why unrest plagued the Maestros launch, The cars : Vauxhall Cavalier Mk3 development story, eBay Find of the Week : Rover 45 with less than 2k miles on the clock, Archive : Car plant strikers go back for talks. Yesterday they faced a disciplinary hearing. 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. In 1981 BL entered into a joint venture with Honda Motor Company, Ltd., of Japan to produce Japanese-designed Triumph Acclaims in the United Kingdom. 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? Following the election of Margaret Thatcher in May 1979, the government and BL sought to implement a recovery plan to save the ailing company. British Motor Holdings merged with the Leyland Motor Company to form the British Leyland Motor Corporation on January 17, 1968. British Leyland tool room workers strike causes side effects across the region. Archive : 1979 from the National Archives, Archive : Sleeping foreman loses dismissal case against BL. Classic car tax exemption: what you need to know. 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. It was cosmetic rather than structural rust but terrible for the cars reputation. When we were given more money to buy, say, new transfer lines, says Seth Smith, we were restricted by government rules to buying sometimes inferior local tooling., Then there was the way that the cars were produced. Whatexactly happened and whenare not easy to decipher. Whether or not unions in the UK took industrial action more than unions in Europe and North America is a moot point, much of the rubbish produced by the NoW, Daily Mail etc is treated as if it was historical fact nowdays where it should be regarded as propaganda. That the 14 had devised a scheme that enabled them to complete their quota in half the time! 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