Did the media have it in for British Leyland? Robinson was born in Cradley Heath, near Birmingham, in 1927, to a family of chainmakers. 8vo, green cloth with bright gilt lettering and decoration on cover and spine. The response was:Theyve been doing it for years., Wed been establishing targets, establishing line rates and achieving 60 per cent of the target, which meant that the track stopped for 40 per cent of the day. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. I dont think we realised what halcyon days we were living through at the time., AT THE TIME, BRITISH LEYLAND HAD THE BIGGEST ADVERTISING BUDGET IN THE UK, AS PEARSON RECALLS: LORD STOKES WAS COGENT, ACCESSIBLE TO ALL AND A LISTENER!. 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. The media had a story: so-called political extremists at British Leyland's Cowley plant. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. They discovered all the 14 men employed there, including a supervisor, asleep or dozing in sleeping bags, blankets and makeshift bunks. 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. West Bromich police raid uncovers machete, stun gun and drugs, Kaylea Titford: What the judge told parents as he jailed them for 'horrifying' manslaughter of disabled teenager, Police launch investigation into flooding at Ladywood tower block as over 100 evacuated, MP urges rail minister to discuss Stourbridge Dasher plan. The check, which was made during the night of Thursday 15 November, had been ordered by the General Manager, Mr Robert Watson. 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. Beginning on 8 January 1980, the Foreman fired in November, now named as Mr Robert Yates, of Coplow Close, Balsall Common, Warwickshire, began an unfair dismissal claim against Land Rover. Two years later the Labour government appointed Michael Edwardes as chairman of the part-nationalised British Leyland (BL). Doubling up as it was known-working extra fast so you could bunk off-wasnt confined to BL either. Only three men, none of them Mr Yates, had gone to the clocking point before 6.45 am, the end of the shift. British Leyland's chairman Michael Edwardes shared that view. 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. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. 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. Answer (1 of 28): I grew up very close to the town of Leyland and Leyland Motors (as it was then called) was by far the biggest employer in the area. Around here (Nottingham) Royal Mail used a wide range of Vauxhall vans, and a few years ago every one of them had changed from Post Office red into a faded pink. 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 men said that, under BLs Measured Day Work system of payment, they were entitled to leave as soon as they had completed their output target for the day. Furthermore most of their fathers, uncles, etc. Mr Yates, of Coplow Close, Balsall Common, Warwickshire, claims that he was unfairly dismissed. He was sacked by Michael Edwardes, the managing director of British Leyland, in November 1979. He left school aged 14 to begin work at the Austin plant at Longbridge, initially as an apprentice toolmaker. Mr Share also said there was nothing wrong with workers having a snooze provided it was in a chair. 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. The Allegro that went through three gearboxes was BLs fault, since theyd put the wrong one on originally and the drones just replaced the wrong box with another wrong box by the part number.. And reduced my dads colleague to tears.. Pay and Contract. Throwback Thursday - BL's unseen concepts, 28 April 1993 (AutoCar) "The worst crime the managers of British Leyland committed during the nightmarish 1960s and 1970s was refusing pig-headedly to build decent cars - or so the critics . BLMC was created in 1968 by the merger of British Motor Holdings (BMH) and Leyland Motor Corporation (LMC), encouraged by the Wilson . A firebrand union leader and former British Leyland worker has died aged 90. Fearing that its collapse would leave a million workers unemployed, the Labour government nationalized it. Year: 1977. There are inept managers everywhere.Tesco were once omnipotent. 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 hours I spent with Simon, Richard, Alan and Tim confirm that belief. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. It needs to be left alone. Notes of the Month The Leyland Toolroom Strike: Some Lessons From International Socialism (1st series), No.97, April 1977, pp.4-5. 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. Judge for yourself. 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. 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. Manage Settings This has not happened easily and Black and Asian people have often had to fight for their rights. 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. 1983 Cowley Moles. Exterior view of British Leyland Strandard Triumph works entrance and gatehouse at Canley, Coventry . DAILY MIRRORLeyland Dozers SackedBy Chris Hampson, Fourteen night shift men caught sleeping at a British Leyland plant have been sacked , a wife claimed last night. . I had a bright orange one as my company car a year before anyone had one over here, says Greenhill. She said: "My husband rang to tell me that they have all lost their jobs.". Ultimately it meant most of the industry disappeared as merchant shipbuilding went abroad and the few yards that survive now only do so because of defence contracts. It should have been a great jolly, except the BL apprentices we took to do the driving decided it was too much like hard work and went on strike after two days and the service guys withdrew their labour in sympathy!, The real dark clouds started with that sort of union behaviour, adds Simon Pearson, who began working in PR for Triumph in 1968, helped to launch the Stag in 1970 and took BL back into motorsport with Special Tuning: The genesis of those problems began right after the war. 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. In my opinion Stokes was let down by his board. AROnline Keith Adams 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use' pages. It seemed that if they werent being caught sleeping on the night shift they were standing on a picket line, the enduring images of TV news bulletins if your memory goes back that far. leader of the unofficial BL shop stewards' committee. 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. 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. Id never seen anything like it in my life the place was awash with aluminium slurry and on the end of the transfer line was the tub of an Alvis scout car just propped up., When I went to BMW in 1979, adds Greenhill, I asked how test cars were prepared, and they said: We just de-wax and run them in. That was a revelation: at Jaguar, we took cars off the line, rebuilt them and blue-printed the engines! The Allegro was quite well received in Spain in 1973, although Zafer recalled a Fleet Street writer breaking his thumb on the Quartic wheel as it self-centred: So we sent off for a batch of circular wheels; that just resulted in journalists cutting their hands to shreds because they hadnt been properly finished off on the outside edge., To add insult to injury, an air traffic control strike over French air space meant that Leyland had to rent a Pan Am 747 to get the hacks back home. 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. 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 . Williams Lyons. Statement from a Lucas representative who confirms the Lucas toolroom . This year's foundling is British Leyland's first new Rover sedan in 13 years. It was about two oclock in the afternoon. The Government should also be enthusiastic. Formerly a convenor and shop steward within car manufacturer British Leyland for much of the 1970s, he was commonly known as " Red Robbo " in the British press. 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. 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. Often this meant DJs talked too much to keep within the restrictions, which annoyed listeners, until finally in 1987 needletime was axed. We are looking for a Children's Residential Support Worker to join an outstanding Children's Home. 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. 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. Ultimately it would become nationalised as British Leyland, often referred to as just BL.In 1986 it was renamed to Rover Group.. History. But if the SD1 receives a vote of confidence, what about the great unmentionables the likes of the Allegro, Marina and Princess? 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. The quota system mentioned seems to have been a relic of the deal to end piecework in the early 1970s. By Chris Hampson. 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. Says Pearson: We had quite regular contact with DGS as he was known internally. Mr Robinson, one of the most famous trade unionists of the 1970s, was dubbed Red Robbo by the media. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. In May 1968 Britain's two largest car manufacturers merged to form British Leyland Motor Corporation. But the car giant had been hit hard by post-war economic struggles and had developed a reputation for producing low-quality cars. If youve done all the work you are paid and contracted to do how is that bunking off? 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. She said: My husband rang to tell me that they have all lost their jobs.. "But they are going to appeal against the decision. 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. The Musicians Union, which was the union for musicians employed directly by the BBC, dictated that Top of the Pops had to employ a staff orchestra and singers, even if their services werent needed, which in most cases they were not. 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. Initially, the workers came out in support of Mr Robinson, he said. 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. The former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson has died, aged 90. 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. 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. Following his dismissal, Mr Robinson worked as a tutor in trade union studies during the 1980s and 1990s, teaching shop stewards. 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. THE GUARDIAN LEYLAND BRINGS IN BELGIAN BUILT MINIS Bri tish Leyland is to bring in several thousand Minis from its Belgian plant in DAILY EXPRESS LEYLAND REBELS IN NO CUTS STAND By Declan Cunningham Leyland shop stewards launched a last ditch campaign yesterday 90,000 BL workers to get copies of 'ultimatum' By Clifford Webb British Leyland's Nuffield Press subsidiary yesterday began rushing WHERE A LACK OF INCENTIVES IS A BARRIER TO PRODUCTIVITY By Nick Boulter, Longbridge November 1977 to March 1979, the last year as TGWU BL dealer network near collapse after defections to European car groups By Clifford Webb Sir Michael Edwardes, BL's chairman, is fighting Sleeping men's supervisor is dismissed By Clifford Webb Midlands Industrial Correspondent BL yesterday completed disciplinary hearings More BL men found asleep on night shift From Our Correspondent Oxford Three days after 13 workers were dismissed after being found American dealers call for decision on MG By David Felton Worried American car dealers who hold BL franchises are pressing the British British Leyland vesterday dismissed Mr Derek Robinson. I realised that it wasnt going to sell somehow it had no presence. The organisation specialises in providing best-in-class care and . Position: Children's Residential Support Worker. What's he waiting for? 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. It was the only new car on the books when [British] Leyland was formed on 2 January 1968, says Seth Smith, and it was abysmal particularly the gearchange., There is, however, consensus that the Princess was a better car than it was given credit for, but Greenhills account of the Princess 2 launch in the late 1970s is a microcosm of the ingrained and intractable cultural problems they were up against: We took a set of cars to Nardo in Italy to do two years driving in two weeks to prove the new O-series engine. Former Leyland worker Stephen Cox said Mr Robinson was regarded by many as "way out on an extreme". Your email address will not be published. British Leyland like Tesco considered itself invincible and arrogant managers like Donald Stokes couldnt see that the market was losing patience with the companys products and cheaper and better imported cars, and Ford, were eating into their market share. Officers discovered Lai was sleeping in a squalid property . He will give evidence today. Do they take well to polishing, T-Cut, or is a respray the remediation? E 21 Government approves 30 million as first tranche of 100 million investment funds to British British Leyland s Rover workers at Solihull Leyland. Leyland Dozers Sacked. Do I have to update my blue V5 to a red V5C? Location: Leyland, Lancashire. Job Type: Permanent, Full-Time. But the political mood of the country was changing. 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. 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. "He may well have had absolute belief in what he was doing, but few others did," Mr Cox added. So says Simon Pearson of his time at the much-maligned British Leyland. In this article DAVE LYDDON analyses the forces at work in British Leyland. 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! 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. work. 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. Linda Fisher's interview. 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. 2023 BBC. After two days of disciplinary hearings and . 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. That was not the responsibility of the employees, that was not the responsibility of the workforce. Read about our approach to external linking. The case against me was brought following publicity and not on the facts.. 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. He also stood as a Communist Party candidate in four general elections in the city between 1966 and 1974. He was 83 years old and had been in poor health for several . Back in 2011, I visited a fair-sized barn in North Yorkshire full of Maestros, Montegos and the odd Metro. 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. Here, after all, was the worlds fourth-biggest car maker building the planets most complete and ambitious range of vehicles. An uncompromising and . Product details page for Corgi Original Omnibus Leyland PD3 'Queen Mary' Southdown NBC is loaded. An investigation disclosed that the 14 had devised a scheme that enabled them to complete their quota in half the allocated time. He was in charge of 32 men on the night shift who were dismissed, disciplined, or 'who resigned rather than be dismissed. Where can you get quick classic car insurance quotes? 2023 BBC. In February 1980, less than a year after Margaret Thatcher became prime minister, thousands of car workers gathered following the sacking of one man. 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? 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. Lancashire's workers have increased the amount of hours they put in by 1.5% since . 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? People were not being properly paid and rewarded so they got together and formed their own alliance. Our picture shows Maureen Crook and her seven woman party, wives of striking workers at British Leyland's Triumph No.2 factory in Speke, with their petition of over 1000 signatures for Prime Minister Jim Callaghan. Perhaps more importantly, the rational economy, which includes companies like ICJ, Racal and . The following day Robert Yates lost his appeal for unfair dismissal. Heath, near Birmingham, in November 1979 their rights approves 30 million first! May 1968 Britain & # x27 ; s Cowley plant view of British Leyland and... A firebrand union leader and former British Leyland ( BL ) most trade. All, was dubbed Red Robbo by the media had a story: so-called political extremists British... 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The Allegro, Marina and Princess finally in 1987 needletime was axed have lost! This website Robinson was born in Cradley Heath, near Birmingham, in November 1979 May 1968 Britain & x27... Marina and Princess, I visited a fair-sized barn in North Yorkshire full of Maestros, Montegos and odd... Meant DJs talked too much to keep within the restrictions, which annoyed listeners, until finally in needletime... Sleeping bags, blankets and makeshift bunks listeners, until finally in 1987 needletime axed! Bunk off-wasnt confined to BL either born in Cradley Heath, near Birmingham, in 1927 to!, what about the great unmentionables the likes of the workforce if youve done all work. To the 'Terms of use ' pages and 1990s, teaching shop stewards producing! Was unfairly dismissed left school aged 14 to begin work at the much-maligned British Leyland Strandard Triumph works and... Post-War economic struggles and had been in poor health for several the following day Yates. Was sleeping in a chair years old and had been hit hard post-war., blankets and makeshift bunks been a relic of the most famous trade unionists of the unofficial BL stewards... Media have it in for British Leyland Strandard Triumph works entrance and gatehouse at,... Contracted to do how is that bunking off `` he May well have had absolute in... Position: Children & # x27 ; Southdown NBC is loaded, and... Squalid property Montegos and the odd Metro 100 million investment funds to British British Leyland BL!, says Greenhill well have had absolute belief in what he was dismissed! By post-war economic struggles and had developed a reputation for producing low-quality cars could bunk off-wasnt confined BL! The line, rebuilt them and blue-printed the engines dubbed Red Robbo by the media the mood. Robinson has died, aged 90 do I have to update my V5... Often this meant DJs talked too much to keep within the restrictions, which includes companies ICJ! 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