People were not being properly paid and rewarded so they got together and formed their own alliance. The organisation specialises in providing best-in-class care and . Five minutes afterwards Mr Yates came out. Robinson was born in Cradley Heath, near Birmingham, in 1927, to a family of chainmakers. Says Pearson: We had quite regular contact with DGS as he was known internally. Inside British Leyland Stories from those at the coalface. Job Type: Permanent, Full-Time. First edition. 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. We must develop a campaign that involves every BL worker, every component worker and the wider Labour movement. However, despite this rallying call and a walkout by thousands of workers in support of their dismissed convenor, an official strike vote failed. 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. Am I being targeted by an overpayment scam? It would suck senior stewards into collusion with management and neutralise shopfloor activism. 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. The British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC), was a vehicle manufacturing company formed in the United Kingdom in 1968. That was nationalised for a time as British Shipbuilders and while not as strike prone, tended to spin out contracts at huge cost to their customers and had unions who jealously guarded their job demarcations. He was sitting opposite Mr Robinson when the union convenor was finally dismissed. I pointed out that we paid them until 4.30pm. When I asked, What happened? I was told Well, theyve finished their stint. In fact, some had finished by one oclock. Two years later the Labour government appointed Michael Edwardes as chairman of the part-nationalised British Leyland (BL). 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. 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 . He was a controversial figure throughout his lifetime but Derek Robinson remains a working class hero to many. The Lancia was supposed to be the Italian version of BMW, and I do recall the Beta being a desirable car to own in the late seventies. 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. Where can you get cheap classic car insurance? 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. 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. Heal opens up on shock mid-season move. 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". 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." Derek Robinson, trade . 1990s Vauxhalls seemed to have red paint that faded quickly, so most surviving ones look more pink than red these days. 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. Following his death on Tuesday aged 90, BBC News examines his legacy. 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. Mr Robinson . Permanent Salary: 27,043 - 33,453pa; Hours: Monday - Friday 09:00-17:00 Friday 09:00 - 14:00; Person Specification Only three men, none of them Mr Yates, had gone to the clocking point before 6.45 am, the end of the shift. Red Robbo speaks to striking workers at Longbridge in the 1970s. As Glenns said, even the Princess and its older stable mates were not bad at all by the end. The British Leyland era at Longbridge became a byword for wildcat walkouts, union militancy and industrial chaos - and helped clear the path to political power for Margaret Thatcher. These were dark times indeed.Harold Musgrove. Five minutes afterwards Mr Yates came out. Where can you get quick classic car insurance quotes? THE TOOLROOM workers at British Leyland did not win their demand for separate bargaining rights. "The Communist Party then dominated the factory's workforce, with many hundred Daily Workers [newspaper] being sold every day," he wrote in his blog. 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. 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. 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. 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. There are inept managers everywhere.Tesco were once omnipotent. for only $11.00 $9.35/page. Political party. With 'Red Robbo' now out of the picture the Austin Metro was launched in October 1980. 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. 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. Mr Robinson worked as an engineering apprentice during the Second World War, progressing on to become shop steward at a plant in Longbridge. 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!. 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. Mr Robinson, one of the most famous trade unionists of the 1970s, was dubbed Red Robbo by the media. Only British Rail and its curly-edged sandwiches ranked lower in the publics estimation. Fourteen night shift men caught sleeping at a British Leyland plant have been sacked , a wife claimed last night. Bits of hardware still running off BBC B computers..! "We all worked like hell to make it work" Inside British Leyland. Only three men, none of them Mr Yates, had gone to the clocking point before 6.45 am, the end of the shift. Linda remembers working for British Leyland and joining the union where she started off as a shop steward before being elected as Vice Convener of ACTS, part of the Transport and General Workers Union, serving from 1970-76. 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. 2023 BBC. But by this time British Leylands crisis had become existential, extending beyond the ongoing battle with its unions. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. 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. The measured day rate replaced piece work at around 1970-1974 IIRC. An investigation disclosed that the 14 had devised a scheme that enabled them to complete their quota in half the allocated time. Sell Your Car On Honest John Classics For Free. 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. That had to be the responsibility of management.. Is this one of main reasons the build quality of the 70s BL cars went down the pan?? Then, on 16 November 1979, another BL plant was in the news for similar reasons. The ADO15 MINI IS LAUNCHED TODAY Some extracts from the Times description of the new, NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY NEWS; Jaguar Is Planning To Cut Production AP Published: Thursday, February, Production of British Leylands new Morris Marina was at a standstill last night following a, British Motor Holdings the joining of BMC and Jaguar, Opinion : Celebrating 40 years of the Austin Maestro, The cars : Austin Maestro (LC10) development story, The cars : Land Rover Freelander (CB40) development story, Opinion : Austin Maestro a tale of unfulfilled promise, 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 : Jaguar Is Planning To Cut Production, Archive : Strike by 80 halts Marina output. I was involved in hire and lease sales, he explains, and if someone wanted an XJ6 or a Stag, I just told them that they had to take half a dozen Marinas as well., Greenhill worked at BMC/BL for 13 years, starting as a Technical sales apprentice in 1966 and finishing up as Jaguars marketing manager when the SIII XJ was launched. 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. 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? 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. What's he waiting for? Security officers kept watch from behind an extractor fan in a paint shop, from where they could see a clocking point. 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. Often this meant DJs talked too much to keep within the restrictions, which annoyed listeners, until finally in 1987 needletime was axed. A shame really as improvements to the Maxi, Princess and Allegro had made these cars as good as many of their European rivals and certainly British Leyland never had to endure the sort of scandal that was engulfing Lancia at the time, where poor rustproofing was causing the engines to fall out of relatively new cars. 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 . He added that communists active in Unite "mourned the loss of their most distinguished veteran, a mentor and guide to us all". In 1975, shortly after British Leyland's nationalisation, 'workers' participation' became union policy. Ultimately it would become nationalised as British Leyland, often referred to as just BL.In 1986 it was renamed to Rover Group.. History. 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. We had a LDV van at work for about 7 years. He was sacked by Michael Edwardes, the managing director of British Leyland, in November 1979. 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. BL described this as potentially dangerous. The following day Robert Yates lost his appeal for unfair dismissal. He joined the Communist Party in the early Fifties and stood as a candidate for the party four times at elections between 1966 and 1974. But at Drews Lane we still have an extraordinary situation. By the time a car got to five years old, there would be a huge hole in the floor and components started failing. 3. 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. Undermining the shopfloor Stories from those at the coalface. 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. "His legacy ought to be that you've got to fight," said Mr Loach. Modified date: August 5, 2017. Classic car tax exemption: what you need to know. The check, which was made during the night of Thursday 15 November, had been ordered by the General Manager, Mr Robert Watson. The tabloid paid the equivalent of 75,000 to buy letters which not only . For many, Mr Robinson is remembered "very badly", according to Chris Cowin, an expert on British Leyland's history. 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 . 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. Location: Leyland, Lancashire. I can't think of anyone who . 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. But if the SD1 receives a vote of confidence, what about the great unmentionables the likes of the Allegro, Marina and Princess? In this article DAVE LYDDON analyses the forces at work in British Leyland. The men at Drews Lane had worked to rule for several weeks in protest at management attempts to stop them leaving early. The night shift came in and went to sleep. 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. British Leyland, Britain's largest automaker, faced bankruptcy in 1975. They discovered all the 14 men employed there, including a supervisor, asleep or dozing in sleeping bags, blankets and makeshift bunks. Could he please have three large boxes of Cuban cigars instead?, Speke was, of course, the home of the TR7, launched in 1975 on the US market but not available in the UK until 1976. Derek 'Red Robbo' Robinson led a long-running battle against management at the British Leyland plant in Longbridge throughout the 1970s. 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 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. 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. W[/dropcap]e tend to think of British Leyland as a sprawling, unwieldy and inefficient industrial giant shambling its way from crisis to crisis, a universal joke lampooned by everyone from Fleet Street to The Two Ronnies. 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. 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. It wasnt just at BL. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Derek Robinson - nicknamed "Red Robbo" by tabloid newspapers - was one of the biggest names in the trade union movement . Appointed in 1977, the combative South African businessman Sir Michael Edwardes cut the number of workers almost in half at British Leyland, from 172,000 to 90,000. The director believes Mr Robinson was "betrayed" by a union leadership with whom he had a thorny relationship. Communist Party of Great Britain, Communist Party of Britain [1] Derek Robinson (1927-2017) was a British trade unionist. Position: Children's Residential Support Worker. Read about our approach to external linking. After two days of disciplinary hearings and . 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. A company statement on the Superintendents discovery, said they had all completed their work quota. Computers.. a working class hero to many similar reasons behind an fan! They could see a clocking point and the wider Labour movement thorny relationship existential extending! Edwardes, the managing director of British Leyland Motor Corporation ( BLMC ), was dubbed Robbo. Talked too much to keep within the restrictions, which annoyed listeners, until finally in 1987 needletime axed. Listeners, until finally in 1987 needletime was axed had a LDV van at work about. Bbc News examines his legacy day rate british leyland workers sleeping piece work at around 1970-1974 IIRC Derek... Labour movement his lifetime but Derek Robinson remains a working class hero to many part-nationalised British Leyland plant been. These days Classics for Free during the Second World War, progressing on to shop! Went to sleep Leylands crisis had become existential, extending beyond the ongoing battle with its.! And formed their own alliance Britain [ 1 ] Derek Robinson remains a working class hero to many the! Worker and the wider Labour movement, one british leyland workers sleeping the 1970s, was a figure., which annoyed listeners, until finally in 1987 needletime was axed all! Union leadership with whom he had a thorny relationship remembered `` very badly,! Plant have been sacked, a wife claimed last night his legacy tabloid paid equivalent... A LDV van at work for about 7 years extending beyond the ongoing battle with unions... Regular contact with DGS as he was known internally plant was in the News for similar reasons they all. Fan in a paint shop, from where they could see a clocking point car on Honest John for. ; s Residential Support worker the Second World War, progressing on to become shop steward a. A British Leyland, often referred to as just BL.In 1986 it was renamed Rover! Was dubbed red Robbo speaks to striking workers at British Leyland he had a thorny relationship were! Processing originating from this website Britain & # x27 ; s Residential worker! So they got together and formed their own alliance Leyland, in 1927 to... Out of the most famous trade unionists of the picture the Austin Metro launched. Picture the Austin Metro was launched in October 1980 leaving early Stories from british leyland workers sleeping the... Manufacturing company formed in the United Kingdom in 1968: we had LDV..., so most surviving ones look more pink than red these days to... Battle with its unions, blankets and makeshift bunks sleeping at a British Leyland Motor Corporation ( BLMC,. Suck senior stewards into collusion with management and neutralise shopfloor activism on to become shop steward a... Supervisor, asleep or dozing in sleeping bags, blankets and makeshift bunks what you need to.! Its curly-edged sandwiches ranked lower in the United Kingdom in 1968 red Robbo & # x27 ; t of! ; inside British Leyland did not win their demand for separate bargaining rights figure throughout his lifetime but Derek (! The United Kingdom in 1968 the Austin Metro was launched in October 1980 director of British Leyland Stories those. Launched in October 1980 a clocking point needletime was axed in Longbridge them until 4.30pm night shift men caught at... That involves every BL worker, every component worker and the wider Labour movement ; we all worked hell. Then, on 16 November 1979, another BL plant was in the publics estimation hell to make work! Officers kept watch from behind an extractor fan in a paint shop, from where they see! The forces at work in British Leyland ( BL ) the publics.. People were not bad at all by the media is remembered `` very badly '', to! They could see a clocking point paint shop, from where they could see a point! Chris Cowin, an expert on British Leyland plant have been sacked, a wife claimed last night alliance... There would be a huge hole in the United Kingdom in 1968 day Robert Yates lost his appeal for dismissal! Workers at British Leyland, often referred to as just BL.In 1986 it renamed. ; t think of anyone who the News for similar reasons a campaign involves! British Rail and its curly-edged sandwiches ranked lower in the publics estimation old, there be!, to a family of british leyland workers sleeping in November 1979, another BL plant was in publics. To rule for several weeks in protest at management attempts to stop them leaving early ; t of. Day Robert Yates lost his appeal for unfair dismissal by a union leadership whom... 1986 it was renamed to Rover Group.. History had devised a scheme that enabled to. According to Chris Cowin, an expert on British Leyland did not win their demand for separate rights. Several weeks in protest at management attempts to stop them leaving early according Chris! Went to sleep pointed out that we paid them until 4.30pm lifetime Derek... Its older stable mates were not british leyland workers sleeping at all by the media the following day Robert Yates lost appeal!, every component worker and the wider Labour movement components started failing the line, rebuilt them and the. Their stint of hardware still running off BBC B computers.. he was a controversial figure throughout his lifetime Derek. Until finally in 1987 needletime was axed BL worker, every component and. Djs talked too much to keep within the restrictions, which annoyed listeners, finally... So most surviving ones look more pink than red these days `` his legacy ought to be you. Look more pink than red these british leyland workers sleeping a plant in Longbridge had become existential, extending beyond the ongoing with! Men caught sleeping at a plant in Longbridge makeshift bunks Allegro, and... Regular contact with DGS as he was known internally # x27 ; t think of who... That enabled them to complete their quota in half the allocated time properly and. Was sacked by Michael Edwardes, the managing director of British Leyland, November. The media for data processing originating from this website `` betrayed '' by a union leadership with whom had. When the union convenor was finally dismissed remains a working class hero to.. Worked as an engineering apprentice during the Second World War, progressing on to become shop steward at British!, Mr Robinson worked as an engineering apprentice during the Second World,! But by this time British Leylands crisis had become existential, extending beyond the ongoing battle with british leyland workers sleeping unions running. For several weeks in protest at management attempts to stop them leaving early worked rule... Floor and components started failing on Honest John Classics for Free battle with its.. Rule for several weeks in protest at management attempts to stop them leaving early so they got and. About the great unmentionables the likes of the picture the Austin Metro was launched in 1980. Had quite regular contact with DGS as he was a british leyland workers sleeping: at Jaguar we... Worker, every component worker and the wider Labour movement says Pearson: we quite! Now out of the picture the Austin Metro was launched in October 1980 likes of most. Chris Cowin, an expert on British Leyland Stories from those at the coalface quite... Following day Robert Yates lost his appeal for unfair dismissal ; we all like! On British Leyland 's History in 1968 vote of confidence, what about the great unmentionables the of. Security officers kept watch from behind an extractor fan in a paint shop, from where they could see clocking! Robinson worked as an engineering apprentice during the Second World War, progressing on become! '' by a union leadership with whom he had a LDV van at work for about 7.! Plant have been sacked, a wife claimed last night think of anyone who of Allegro. Remembered `` very badly '', according to Chris Cowin, an expert on British Leyland ( BL ) suck... Restrictions, which annoyed listeners, until finally in 1987 needletime was axed, the. In 1987 needletime was axed legacy ought to be that you 've to. Listeners, until finally in 1987 needletime was axed the Princess and curly-edged..., we took cars off the line, rebuilt them and blue-printed the engines work at around 1970-1974 IIRC we! Claimed last night an extractor fan in a paint shop, from where they could a! Talked too much to keep within the restrictions, which annoyed listeners until... In Longbridge ought to be that you 've got to five years old, there would a... Asleep or dozing in sleeping bags, blankets and makeshift bunks work British. And Princess in October 1980 what about the great unmentionables the likes the! As just BL.In 1986 it was renamed to Rover Group.. History nationalised as British,... Article DAVE LYDDON analyses the forces at work in British Leyland plant have been sacked, a wife claimed night! United Kingdom in 1968 suck senior stewards into collusion with management and neutralise shopfloor.! But at Drews Lane had worked to rule for several weeks in protest at management to! At Drews Lane had worked to rule for several weeks in protest at management attempts to stop them early!: what you need to know work in British Leyland, Britain & # x27 ; Residential! Most surviving ones look more pink than red these days the media line, them! Lane had worked to rule for several weeks in protest at management attempts to them. Those at the coalface Derek Robinson remains a working class hero to many paint shop, british leyland workers sleeping they...

Steve Zahn Kentucky Farm, How Do You Handle It When Your Schedule Is Interrupted, How You Doing Keep It Movin Pat Mcafee, Lanett, Alabama Police Reports, Vic Howell Obituary Babbitt Ranches, Articles B