"The human brain is a wonderful piece of mechanism. It starts when you are born and never stops - until you reach the rostrum!"
J. Haworth
President TSSA, 1954 Annual Conference.
Unlike the TSSA, the new Conservative Government had no faith in the 1947 Transport Act, considering that it was incapable of achieving an integrated transport system; moreover, the Government was unconvinced that such an objective was even desirable. In fact, it was now prepared to adopt a new transport strategy, and whereas previous governments had restricted road haulage to avoid excessive rivalry between road and rail, competition was to become transport's motivating force.
When the King presented the Government's programme to Parliament on 6th November 1951, he announced its intention to extend private road haulage and to make changes to the nationalised sector of the transport industry. A White Paper, Transport Policy, followed on 8th May 1952; a Bill was published in July, and a revised Bill in November. These set out the Government's objectives: to sell the majority of the road haulage vehicles and property that had been nationalised under the 1947 Transport Act and which traded as British Road Services (BRS); to allow the RE to raise its fares without having to apply to the Transport Tribunal; to decentralise BR; to modify the powers, duties and composition of the BTC; to impose a levy on all road vehicles (with the exception of small delivery vans) and to repay the loss incurred by the BTC when its vehicles were sold. Eventually, opposition to such compensation, and divisions within the Cabinet, led to the proposal being dropped.
In addition to other companies, the Road Haulage Executive had inherited the railway-owned road transport undertakings which included Pickfords, Wordie, Carter Paterson and Hays Wharf Cartage, and it was these companies, including their key personnel, that were the basis of BRS. By June 1949 359 companies, with 15,000 vehicles, had been voluntarily sold to the Executive and a further 346 companies, with 6,500 vehicles, were obtained by compulsory purchase. Thousands of vehicles were eventually sold for scrap or found to be unfit for service, but when the acquisition programme was concluded in October 1951, BRS had been transformed from 3,766 separate road haulage concerns with 40,000 vehicles, 3,000 trailers and 75,000 staff (of whom 17,000 were employed on administration) into a coherent and profitable company. A new Machinery for the negotiation of wages and conditions of service had been agreed in September 1949 and national agreements became operative the following year.
Very few transport experts saw any value in denationalising road haulage and the Bill effectively undermined all the work that had been done to provide a framework for an integrated and co-ordinated transport system. It did however enable the Government to repay the debt it owed to some of its most vigorous supporters - those within the increasingly powerful private road sector which still had over 7,000 firms operating in long distance road haulage. In an attempt to change the Government's policy, the RCA worked in co-operation with other transport unions, the Labour Party and TUC, to prepare a number of amendments to the Bill, with both George Thorneycroft and Assistant General Secretary William Webber, making an important contribution. A number of demonstrations and regional conferences were held opposing the sale of BRS, with Thorneycroft, Percy Morris and Albert Davies as the Association's main speakers. Opposition to the Bill was not confined to the transport unions and solidarity was expressed by unions from other industries and the Co-operative Congress. Delegates at the TSSA's 1952 Conference severely criticised the Government for failing to consult either the BTC or the trade unions on its proposals, and George Tempest,1 a long standing member of the Conservative Party, condemned the Bill and promptly joined the Labour Party.
During the Bill's passage through Parliament, TSSA members in both Houses participated in all the debates, with Albert Davies and Percy Morris being the most prominent. Morris's knowledge of the transport industry was respected within Parliament and he mercilessly exposed the inadequacy of the Government's proposals. Even the Minister for Transport, A.T. Lennox-Boyd, acknowledged his qualities and said, No-one on either side has more practical knowledge of the working of the railway system.
2 No doubt Morris would have preferred the Minister to have been less fulsome in his compliments and to have taken on board the points made in his speeches. It was not to be, and the Transport Act (1953) received Royal Assent on 6th May.
The Act established the Road Haulage Disposal Board which decided to sell the vehicles in units of one to a maximum of fifty. After having spent five years building BRS, its staff were now obliged to manage its disposal. After the high expectations of 1948, morale slumped and employees were in a constant state of anxiety over their future - it was an experience that was to become the norm for all transport workers. By October 1953, 7 million catalogues had been printed and the first 10,000 vehicles were placed on the market with hauliers being offered new lorries for less than their purchase value. It soon became apparent that despite the low price, large-scale purchasers would be very few indeed, the main interest being in small vehicle-only units.
After 14 months vehicle sales had not exceeded 6,000, and in a debate on 6th July 1954, the Parliamentary Labour Party attempted to persuade the Government to change its policy. Percy Morris made the final speech and told the Minister that he was destroying an organisation that had proved to be a great national asset.3 Sales never met the Government's expectations and by July 1955 they had reached their peak. Of the 32,500 vehicles on offer, 9,000 remained unsold, by which time over 9,000 employees, including 1,000 clerical staff, had left BRS. At the 1955 Eastboume Conference, delegates criticised the Minster for Transport for refusing to announce a date when sales would cease, and, eventually, the Government accepted the inevitable and amended its own legislation. Under the Transport (Disposal of Road Haulage Property) Act of August 1956, the BTC was allowed to retain an additional 7,750 vehicles in addition to the 4,000 it had been permitted to retain under the 1953 Transport Act; the Disposals Board was disbanded and the levy discontinued. Prior to its demise, the Disposals Board endeavoured to sell the parcels service of BRS as a separate company and BRS (Parcels) was established with over 4,000 vehicles operating from 115 depots being transferred to the new company. To the acute embarrassment of the Government, when the deadline for its sale arrived on 25th January 1956, no offers had been received. The lorries remained with the BTC and its 16,000 vehicles were reorganised into five limited companies. The 1956 Annual Conference recorded its gratitude to the TUC and Labour Party for their efforts, which had contributed to the retention of a much larger fleet of haulage vehicles than had been envisaged under the 1953 Transport Act.4
With the exception of London Transport, all the other Executives were disbanded on 30th September 1953 and their administration was centralised under the BTC. A few months later, on 13th July 1954, the Government issued a White Paper The Railways Re-organisation Scheme which retained the BTC as the policy-making body for London Transport, British Transport Hotels and Catering Services, British Transport Waterways, British Transport Docks, British Road Services and the Road Passenger Companies. The railway regions, established in 1948, were now managed by area boards. The appointment of professional railway managers and Labour supporters to these boards was a rare occurrence. Percy Heady, who had retired, was appointed to the London Midland Area Board in 1955, but by and large the majority were members of the Conservative Party.5
In order to reverse a sharply deteriorating financial situation the BTC, under its Chairman, General Sir Brian Robertson, set out to modernise the railways, and in January 1955, he announced that £1,200 million would be spent over the next 15 years. This was set out in a White Paper The British Transport Commission: Proposals For the Railways. The programme included new marshalling yards, power-operated signalling, electrification, a carriage and wagon building programme, and the replacement of steam locomotives with electric or diesel engines. Initially the modernisation scheme was well received but in due course some aspects were seen to be badly conceived and some projects poorly managed. In 1956 and 1959, the Plan was reviewed by the Government, and its persistent intervention led to a brake on investment. Several projects were postponed and to make matters worse, a decline in the national economy brought a lower demand for coal and steel which had its own adverse effect on the railway industry. Criticism of the Government's economic restraints came from the TSSA but these were largely ignored. In 1960, the modernisation programme came to a halt and from then on, whatever the progress made, it was never at the pace that the industry and the nation required.
Between 1948 and 1956 the railway industry suffered a reduction in its staff of 12 per cent; this represented 78,000 people, the majority of whom were employed in the Conciliation Grades. This trend continued as steam locomotives were replaced with electric or diesel, and work associated with the former rolling stock disappeared. Modern technology was also introduced into the office. In September 1958 the first computer was purchased to process pay and in 1959, for the first time, computers were used to produce timetables. The equipment weighed 5½ tons, and two people, operating the computer for 30 hours, produced a timetable that previously had taken 5 clerks 2,000 hours. By the end of 1962, there were 60 data processing centres equipped with 40 electronic calculators and a number of small computers. These were used mainly for payroll applications, stores and freight accounting, stock control and statistical processing. Initially, the majority of clerical and managerial personnel were not drastically affected but, as the BRB moved from a regional programme to a national network of computerisation, they, too, experienced the effects of modernisation.
The wages of railway workers had always tended to be relatively low compared with those of other industries, and as the railway deficit grew, this trend increased. The three main railway unions sought to improve pay for their members albeit they were not always in harmony. A strike of NUR and ASLEF was averted in December 1953, and this led to a rule-change by the TSSA. Up to this year, authorisation for a strike was based on a decision made at the 1927 Annual Conference, which said that the TSSA could only participate in a strike if it had the sanction of the annual or a special conference. In 1955 this was changed to give the EC the authority to sanction or cancel a strike. Alternatively, the EC could consider calling a special conference, when a two thirds majority would be required to take strike action.
In 1954 "Assimilation" was agreed; the 5 male Salary Grades established in 1920 were reduced to 4, bringing financial benefits to the majority, but between 1954 and 1958, pay claims became increasingly difficult. A strike threatened by the NUR in January 1955 was averted by a Court of Enquiry. If the Government thought its problems were over, it was mistaken and a national strike by ASLEF took place from 28th May to 13th June 1955, the first national stoppage on the railways since the 1926 General Strike. The TSSA donated £,1,000 to the strike fund. In 1958 a further strike over pay was cancelled following Government intervention. The railway unions met the BTC and the Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, at 10, Downing Street on 22nd April 1958, and, after settling their immediate pay award, the BTC offered an independent enquiry to compare railway wages with those of similar industries. The basis for this decision had been established at the 1955 Court of Enquiry. This said that employees should receive a fair and adequate wage and that, in broad terms, the railwayman should be in no worse case than his colleague in a comparable industry.
6
The Committee of Enquiry held its first meeting in December 1958 under its Chairman C. W. Guillebaud CBE, MA. The other members were E. Bishop OBE, DMA. and H. A. Clegg MA. To carry out their investigations Guillebaud appointed a team of 10 who submitted 1,561 reports covering 153 railway grades and 639 reports on work outside the railway industry. Even before Guillebaud had reported, the Cabinet had accepted, in principle, that railway workers should be properly and fairly paid although in doing so, they were determined to place the blame for future fare increases on the trade unions.7 On 2nd March 1960 the Guillebaud committee published its report which concluded that the pay of railway workers was 10 per cent lower than that of workers in other industries. After allowing for the advantages in conditions other than pay, Guillebaud recommended an 8 per cent increase for most Conciliation Grades and 10 per cent for Salaried Grades, introduced retrospectively from 4th January 1960. The Guillebaud committee had not been asked to establish a procedure for dealing with future pay claims, and management saw it as a "one off" exercise; from the trade union point of view it established an important precedent
In 1956, after almost seven years of discussions between unions and management, a new Machinery of Negotiation was established, introducing improved consultation procedures at local, regional and national level. Its terms stipulated that only staff who were members of a trade union party to the Machinery were eligible to make nominations for, or to be nominated as, staff members for LDCs and Sectional Councils. Its introduction would prove to be a great asset to the industry.
In 1953, after celebrating his 35th consecutive conference and tenth year as President, Percy Morris retired, to be replaced by James Haworth. Ray Gunter who had been an MP for six years, was elected as the Association's Treasurer. At the same conference, George Thorneycroft said farewell after working for the union for thirty-nine years, and William Webber was elected as General Secretary. Webber had an astute and incisive brain
8 and was a master at delegation. Fortunately, there were those within the TSSA's administration who were equal to the tasks set by him. Following the retirement of Griff Morris in 1956 Webber took over as Editor of the TSSJ; this was in name only, and Ray Lowther,9 who eventually became Editor in 1960, was, with Derek Lee,10 responsible for its production.
Webber undertook many arduous duties outside the TSSA and he travelled widely on behalf of the ICFTU and the ITF. Members were concerned at his excessive work load, and matters came to a head in 1958 when he became a part-time member of the National Coal Board. His appointment had been welcomed by the miners' unions, but several TSSA branches composited an Emergency Motion at the Llandudno Conference, condemning the EC for approving Webber's appointment to the Coal Board and asking that it be withdrawn immediately. It was the redoubtable Ralph Whitehead11 who proposed the motion, and in a debate reminiscent of 1910 (when Arthur Chandler had objected to Alexander Walkden representing the Association as its MP) insisted that personal issues were not involved, but that Webber's additional duties would detract from his work as General Secretary. Charles Hague12 supported the motion, also complaining of an elite
13 for whom jobs had been created. These arguments were strongly rebuffed by Geoffrey Collings, and after Ray Gunter had defended the Executive's decision, conference rejected the motion by 50,175 votes to 19,900. As it happened, Webber was more than equal to all the tasks he undertook.
It had long been the practice of the railway companies that women were obliged to terminate their employment on marriage. This was relaxed for a period during the 1920s, to the concern of some branches. In 1927 a motion from the Manchester No.3 branch, instructing the EC to make the retirement of women clerks on marriage compulsory, was reluctantly withdrawn following a statement by the President. The majority of men were not pleased to see women clerks performing duties normally carried out by male clerks but at the same time conference frequently condemned the railway companies when they refused to appoint women on a permanent basis.
The marriage bar once again became a fact of life, but during the Second World War the policy was relaxed and married women were allowed to continue their careers. In 1945 many married women left the railways, and the Bristol branch, often in the forefront on feminist issues, resolved that the marriage bar should be challenged. It placed a motion on the 1946 annual conference agenda stating:
"Women clerks should be permitted to continue their railway service after marriage on exactly the same basis as before, and those who are members of a superannuation fund should remain therein until they retire from the service."14
When the Glasgow Central branch met, it decided to amend the motion to ensure that this could only take place in exceptional circumstances
. This was opposed by three of the RCA's leading feminists - Isobel Leishman, Betty Kent and Nan Patrick, but they failed to convince their colleagues and the amendment was placed on the conference agenda. At conference, Chilo Gapper15 proposed the Bristol motion and Isobel Leishman gave it support on behalf of the EC. Opposition came from two women and two men, all of whom declared that a married woman's place was in the home, and that the majority of RCA members opposed women remaining in employment after marriage. Whether this was true is a matter of speculation, but it was certainly the opinion of most delegates who carried the Glasgow Central amendment.
The TUC denounced the marriage bar16 that existed in many industries including the civil service, banking, insurance and education, and in 1947 the RCA's Executive took the unusual step of attempting to reverse the 1946 decision. The Glasgow Central branch had other ideas and its delegate John Ross (Chairman of the Labour Party Scottish Council) carried an amendment that effectively maintained the 1946 decision. By the end of 1950, the BTC had reversed its policy towards employing married women, bringing a complaint from Ashford No.1 branch that this, and the retention of married women in superannuation funds, had taken place without consultation.17
At the 1954 Conference male chauvinism reappeared when the Motherwell branch proposed that, for the purposes of promotion or redundancy, married women should be treated as temporary employees. Powerful speeches against such a suggestion came from Sylvia Morris18 (Leeds) and Geoffrey Collings who said:
"Anyone entering railway employment, man or woman, black or white, married or single, should be judged on the merits of the work they do and be treated accordingly."19
Motherwell's proposition was decisively rejected, but not before Assistant General Secretary, Alfred Sams,20 pointed out that an understanding had been reached with BR that if redundancy became widespread then the question of the position of married women would be re-examined.21 Ten years later, when the industry was faced with the problems of contraction, a further attempt was made to place female clerks, on marriage, in a temporary position, but this failed to win support.
As an employer, the RCA had a good record and very few left to find work elsewhere. Nevertheless, its conditions of service broadly reflected the social atmosphere of the time. From the Second World War onwards it did not have a rigid policy towards the employment of married women and some did indeed continue in employment. However, in 1950, when Margaret Cairncross decided she would like to continue working in the Association's Scottish office after her marriage to David Robertson, the RCA's former Scottish Secretary, her application to do so was refused. When her request came before the EC the President pointed out that her employment would be contrary to the principles established at the 1946 Conference, and a proposal that she continue to be employed by the RCA was ruled out of order by the President.22
RCA women employees were not able to advance their careers in the same manner as men. The appointment of Mary Longhorn to take over Frank Claydon's duties in the LNER section in 1942 proved to have been an isolated case and it was not until 1951 that women secured equality of opportunity. This happened in February, when Geoffrey Collings convinced the EC that the Association's practice of excluding women from posts on the Association's staff, other than as typists or shorthand typists, should be abandoned, and that both men and women should be considered on merit, without discrimination on the grounds of sex.23 This decision did not bring advancement at the speed envisaged by Collings. Ethel Chipchase became the Administrative Assistant in the Organising Department in 1952 and joined the TUC's staff as its Women's Officer ten years later, but it was not until 1985 that the first female senior TSSA officer was appointed, when Catherine Hodges became Editor of the TSSJ. The first woman to be appointed to a senior TSSA position from within the transport industry took place in 1991, when Marion Campbell24 became the Finance and Education officer.
Throughout the history of the Association there have been many campaigns but possibly none more important than that of equal pay and William Webber played a decisive role in securing its implementation. Since women had been employed on railway work the union had never relaxed its determination to achieve equal pay, and occasionally there had been moments of high expectation. In 1919, after recognition had been won, Alexander Walkden had attempted to achieve a single scale of pay applicable to all clerical workers. This was unsuccessful but it led to the establishment of the first Women and Girl Clerks' Agreement of 26th August 1920. The RSNT in its decision No.8 turned down equal pay in March 1942, and the RCA failed in its attempt to obtain a common salary structure for P&T Grades in 1947. Undaunted, the membership refused to accept the status quo. Demands for equality continued, with women persistently complaining about their low gradings and demanding the opportunity to apply for male posts, paid at the male rate.
The Royal Commission on Equal Pay 1944-1946 under its Chairman, Lord Justice Asquith, published its report on 6th November 1946. This accepted the principle of equal pay but considered that if it was introduced immediately it should be confined to non-industrial employment, government employees and the teaching profession. Impatient at the lack of any real progress, a petition organised by the Equal Pay Campaign Committee was circulated to every branch of the union in 1953, before its presentation to Parliament. Thomas Burden played his part in the House of Lords and called on the Government to announce a date when equal pay for equal work would begin in the Civil Service, local government and other public services.25
In December 1953, when the BTC indicated that they were willing to review the pay structure, the TSSA submitted a common salary scale for men and women. This was rejected by the BTC, and when the negotiations finally concluded on 20th January 1955, only men obtained a new structure. Women did, however, receive an increase in pay and a commitment from the BTC that their promotional prospects would be considered. Just five days later, after years of pressure from the trade unions, a breakthrough came when the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that equal pay would be introduced in the Civil Service, reaching parity on 1st January 1961. In view of this, and the subsequent progress made towards equal pay in local government and other nationalised industries, members of the TSSA became increasingly critical of management's obstinacy, and this found expression at the 1955 Annual Conference.
When the Railway Staff Conference met on 17th August 1955 to review women's promotional prospects, the only woman present was TSSA member Betty Kent. The TSSA suggested that if management were serious about promoting women, the principle of equal pay should be accepted. This was turned down, but at an informal meeting in September, W. P. Allen, the BTC's Manpower Advisor, told William Webber that the Commission was willing to accept equal pay on the same basis as the Civil Service, subject to certain conditions.26 This was confirmed at a meeting of the Railway Staff Conference on 3rd October, when management announced that equal pay would be introduced for female employees whose posts had equal responsibility in every respect to their male colleagues including qualifications, conditions of service and performance of duties. One condition was that the Association should end its efforts to increase the number of higher classified posts for women, of whom 84 per cent were employed in the lower of the two grades.
There were 67,047 railway clerical staff in 1956, of whom 18,600 were women. Of these 5,000 were shorthand typists and personal secretaries, 800 were copy typists, 2,600 machine operators, 1,200 switchboard, teleprinter operators and telegraph clerks with 9,000 engaged on clerical duties.27 In order to establish which posts would qualify for equal pay, management carried out an investigation of all male and female posts, with the exception of short-hand typists, typists, machine operators and telephone operators which it was agreed should be excluded. Further meetings of the Staff Conference led to management accepting that posts dealing with booking, parcels, enquiry, telegraph and goods would qualify for equal pay; a number of positions were still reserved for men including stationmasters, assistant stationmasters, railway, dock and workshop supervisory staff and goods agents. The TSSA accepted this and as far as the excluded female posts were concerned, asked for the women's scales to be abolished and for a special scale to be introduced, applicable to both sexes. Negotiations continued and on 28th February, the BTC concluded that approximately 4,500 of the clerical posts, ie. 50 per cent, had been identified for equal pay. This failed to satisfy the TSSA, but the BTC was adamant that some routine clerical work must continue to be done by women, at a woman's rate of pay, and that not all of the clerical posts occupied by women could qualify for parity.28 As agreement could not be reached, the TSSA decided to take the matter to the Railway Staff National Council.
When the National Council met on 29th June 1956 under its chairman, Sir John Benstead, both sides restated their former positions. Eventually, the BTC suggested that as the TSSA considered that the Commission's approach had been too restrictive, they would be willing to appoint a sub-committee to go into the matter.29 The Railway Staff National Council met again on 30th July and the NUR indicated that they were not averse to the setting up of a sub-committee providing there was a more generous approach to the matter and that a complete survey was undertaken in order to bring about a satisfactory solution.30 The TSSA was not convinced and when the BTC reiterated that not all clerical posts would qualify for equal pay, the Association decided to take its claim to the RSNT. Its Chairman was Sir John Forster KBE, QC; its other members were A. J. Espley CBE JP, the BTC's nominee, and J. A. Birch31 the Association's nominee. The hearing was held on 15th-16th October 1956 and had as its terms of reference:
"That the principle of 'equal pay', which the British Transport Commission are prepared to implement in certain cases, shall be applied to all administrative, technical and clerical posts occupied by women and girls on British Railways."
Both parties had an assessor to assist the Tribunal by providing factual information, but they were not signatories to its decisions; the TSSA nominee was Ray Gunter. The BTC endeavoured to have the hearings conducted in private but this was turned down by the Tribunal and all the public seats were full, with the majority taken by women TSSA members who had travelled from all parts of the country. The General Secretary made the case on behalf of the Association and W. P. Allen attempted to justify the BTC's position, but in a political climate that was slowly favouring economic equality, the Tribunal found for the TSSA. Many women could hardly believe that equal pay had been established within the industry; it certainly was an important victory and one that other industrial unions would seek to emulate.
The Tribunal's decision was accepted by the BTC, and, following meetings of the Railway Staff National Council, it was agreed that the first advance would be paid on 1st December 1956 with parity attained after ten monthly intervals on 1st December 1961. The first award did not bring a large financial advance; the principle of equal pay had always been seen as merely the first stage towards equality, but it did establish the value of women's work and the right to apply for positions which had hitherto been reserved for men. As the Tribunal's decision only referred to female clerical staff who were employed by BR the EC lost no time in successfully pursuing the same arrangements for its female members in all the other BTC undertakings. It also reserved its right to press the claim for equal pay for the excluded grades who had, in the meantime, been awarded an increase of approximately 14 per cent.
When the Tribunal's findings were announced, the Association's head office was inundated with correspondence, some congratulating the General Secretary, but the overwhelming majority protesting at their exclusion from the Tribunal's award. Some of the complaints even came from non-members of the TSSA! Discontent amongst the excluded grades continued and their demands for equal pay were raised repeatedly. A meeting at the Ministry of Labour on 7th March 1967 led to the formation of a Working Party comprised of representatives from the British Railways Board (BRB) and the railway trade unions in order to develop a new agreement on pay and efficiency. The BRB was reluctant to grant equal pay to the excluded grades, but after a series of meetings a new salary structure was introduced on 1st July 1968 with 14 clerical grades being reduced to 5. The excluded grades were incorporated into the clerical structure and equal pay was fully achieved on BR. Talks continued with other companies with whom the TSSA had negotiating rights; the passing of the Equal Pay Act 1970 was complemented in 1975 by the Sex Discrimination Act
In Ireland progress towards equality was even more difficult When Herbert Romeril made his Presidential address to the 1915 RCA Conference in Dublin, he had called for women to be paid at the same rate as men, but little did he realise just how long it would take to achieve. All railway clerks were engaged on the basis of successfully completing "Open Competition" examinations but as they were different for men and women, this was used as an argument against the introduction of equal pay. In 1969 agreement was reached, in principle, that CIE would allow women clerks with over seven years service to enter into the Clerical Officer Grade. The responsibility of bringing this to fruition fell to Bill Etherington,32 who was appointed as the Irish Secretary in 1970. Etherington completed negotiations with CIE in 1971 but although this resulted in equal pay for work of equal value in the clerical grades, it excluded those employed as telephone and telex machine operators, as CIE insisted that no direct comparison could be made. Moreover, they were unable to progress naturally into the Clerical Grade without fulfilling the statutory requirement of the Open Competition Examination. A formal claim was lodged by the Association with CIE on 11th June 1973 to resolve the outstanding cases but this was rejected.
Equality had by now become a burning social issue, partly as a result of the Irish CTU asking its affiliates, in 1965, to negotiate higher increases in pay for women where equal pay had not been achieved.33 This campaign continued, and even though the National Wage Agreements did not bring equal pay the Government was obliged to take note. A Commission was established in March 1970, to examine the status of women in Ireland and to recommend the measures needed to ensure their participation on equal terms and conditions. It reported in December 1972 and recommended that a policy of equal pay should be pursued and that a woman should be allowed to continue in employment irrespective of any change in her marital status.
One of the commission's recommendations was the appointment of an Equal Pay Commissioner, and the TSSA submitted its case, which was heard on 11th December 1973. The Commissioner, John Maher, was unable to arrive at an immediate judgment and it was agreed to meet the CIE and TSSA separately, but their differences of interpretation remained unresolved. At the Annual General Meeting of the Irish (Southern) Divisional Council on 23rd February 1974 delegates expressed concern that equal pay had still not been fully conceded; later that year the Anti-Discrimination (Pay) Act became law, making equal pay effective from 31st December 1975. This did not immediately resolve the matter and when the Government eventually decided it would not implement equal pay as it had been earlier defined, the Irish CTU denounced the decision. Equal pay finally came to CIE when open competition was discontinued in 1986 after Section 12 of the Transport Act (1964) was repealed, all staff then had access to the Clerical Officer Grades.
The question of the marriage bar was equally contentious. As in Britain, women were obliged to leave their employment and withdraw from the Pension Fund. Before the establishment of the ClE Superannuation Fund Scheme in 1951 female clerks were members of a Provident Fund from which payment of a lump sum was made on retirement - which frequently meant, on marriage. When female staff were admitted to the new Fund, the CIE assured the Association that a marriage gratuity would be provided in the scheme. This was welcomed at the time, but as women had to pay higher contributions than male colleagues in order to provide for the marriage gratuity, alternatives were sought. In 1952 the Association put forward a number of proposals but ClE refused to discuss the matter until December 1955 when the RCA proposed that women be paid a month's salary for each year of service on their retirement for marriage. A settlement was eventually reached at the end of 1957.
When Bill Etherington took up his appointment he sought to eliminate the marriage bar on CIE. Negotiations commenced in August 1973 and when they were concluded on 13th December, married women were able to continue in their employment. In addition, up to 12 continuous weeks' maternity leave without pay was agreed. Four years later the Employment Equality Act, (1977) became law, making it illegal to discriminate on grounds of sex or marital status.
The TSSA was the first union to take a case to the European Court of Justice. This happened when Eileen Garland, a member of the Wolverton No.1 branch, who was employed by British Rail Engineering Ltd (BREL), attempted to obtain the same travel facilities for retired women employees as men. This had been denied by the BRB at all stages of the internal machinery and the TSSA decided, upon the advice of its solicitors, Russell Jones and Walker, to pursue the case and give full legal representation to Eileen Garland. Her claim, which was based on an interpretation of the Sex Discrimination Act (1975), was submitted to an Industrial Tribunal, where it was rejected. At an Employment Appeal Tribunal held on 11th November 1977, the TSSA's case was upheld, but a subsequent Court of Appeal found in favour of BREL.
With the backing of the Equal Opportunities Commission the TSSA took the case to the House of Lords in November 1980 but the Lords felt that as there was a European dimension, it should first be heard by the European Court before they gave their judgment in the light of English law. In 1982 the Court ruled that the provision of travel facilities in retirement constituted "pay" for the purpose of European equal treatment legislation and, accordingly, the House of Lords agreed that BREL's action discriminated against female employees. On 19th March 1982, the BRB conceded the claim and husbands, widowers and dependants of retired female employees received the same privilege and free travel facilities as those granted to retired male employees. The "Garland Case", which took approximately six years to complete and cost the Association £40,000, was a historic judgment with ramifications far beyond BR and its subsidiary companies.
Between 1951 and 1954, the Fianna Fáil Government had to contend with economic problems caused by the ending of Marshall Aid. Then, as the Cold War intensified and the Government refused to join NATO, the USA demanded an early repayment of its loans. This brought unpopular economic measures and when Fianna Fáil candidates in by-elections at Cork and Louth were decisively defeated, a General Election was held on 18th May 1954.
The only TSSA member now in Dáil Éireann was William F Davin, as Martin O'Sullivan had withdrawn as a candidate following his appointment to the Great Northern Railway Board. The union had hoped that Davin would be joined by both Thomas Herlihy,34 the Chairman of Dublin No.1 branch representing Dublin North Central, and Sean Casey who stood for Cork City. Herlihy was defeated but Casey was returned.
The Labour Party now had 19 Deputies in Dáil Éireann and joined the second Inter-Party Government which lasted until 1957. William Davin served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Local Government until his death in 1956. The Government was initially popular but economic problems arising from the Suez crisis of 1956 led to a recession. Then, towards the end of 1956, following an IRA Border campaign which resulted in many Republicans being arrested, a motion of "No Confidence" was proposed by one of the Government's supporting parties and a General Election was held on 5th March 1957. Although many considered that Fianna Fáil was a spent force, it won the largest overall majority it had ever achieved. It was a personal triumph for its now elderly leader Eamon De Valera but a setback for Labour whose share of the vote was reduced to 9.1 per cent. Only 12 of its Deputies, one of whom was Sean Casey, were returned to the Dáil.
In his short life Sean Casey made a significant impact on the Irish political scene. He was first elected to the Cork Corporation in 1950; six years later at the age of 34 he became Lord Mayor of Cork, one of the youngest to have held that position. In 1963 he was again Lord Mayor, welcoming the President of the USA, John F. Kennedy, when he visited Cork and presenting him with the "Freedom of the City". He was re-elected to Dáil Éireann in 1961 and 1965. Following the 1965 election, when the Labour Party obtained 15.4 per cent of the poll, and 22 seats, Casey was appointed as Shadow Minister for Transport and power. In 1966 he was once again Lord Mayor but, after a severe illness, he died at the age of 45 on 29th April 1967.
The election of Fianna Fáil in 1957 gave the Government an opportunity to dispense with proportional representation which had been introduced in 1920 as a method of safeguarding minority rights in a united Ireland. Eamon De Valera proposed that the new system should be the same as in Britain - thus favouring the larger political parties. This was opposed by the TSSA; the Irish trade union movement formed a committee to fight the proposed change, with Dominick Murphy as its treasurer. A referendum was held in June 1959 and De Valera's proposals were defeated by 33,670 votes; proportional representation continued to be used.
Meanwhile, in Britain, the political agenda set by the Conservative Government since 1951 had marginally weakened the membership's support for Labour. Whereas 91.7 per cent of the membership had contributed to the Labour Party in 1952, by 1964 this had steadily declined to 87.5 per cent. The TSSA donated £5,000 to Labour's Election Fund and when the General Election was held on 26th May 1955, the TSSA sponsored 10 candidates and provided financial assistance to 7 others. Five sponsored candidates were elected, in addition to Frank Anderson who stood as an unofficial candidate at Whitehaven.
| Candidate | Constituency | Labour | Conservative | Other | Majority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R. J. Gunter | Doncaster | 22,938 | 24,598 | - | - |
| G. S. Lindgren JP | Wellingborough | 22,745 | 21,819 | - | 926 |
| P. Morris JP | Swansea (W) | 22,647 | 21,626 | - | 1,021 |
| H. Hynd JP | Accrington | 22,502 | 21,157 | - | 1,345 |
| T. Steele | Dunbartonshire (W) | 21,854 | 19,902 | - | 1,952 |
| G.H.R. Rogers | Kensington (N) | 20,226 | 17,283 | - | 2,943 |
| J. Haworth | Bolton (W) | 20,014 | - | 24,827 | - |
| A. Hargreaves | Carlisle | 19,701 | 20,071 | - | - |
| C. Mapp | Oldham (E) | 18,805 | 19,185 | 5,506 | - |
| T. G. Bradley | Rutland & Stamford | 14,856 | 17,675 | - | - |
When the results were announced the Conservatives had won a clear victory.
TSSA MP George Rogers became the main link between the Association's head office and the Parliamentary Group and was the Labour Party's London Whip; George Lindgren was Chainnan of the Parliamentary Labour Party Local Government Group; Henry Hynd was Chairman of the Committee on Economic and Financial matters and Percy Morris was a member of the Transport Group. Thomas Steele was spokesman for the Labour Party on National Insurance matters.
[1]. G. Tempest (Euston No.2). Joined RCA 1947. Branch and North London Divisional Council Chairman. George Tempest was a founder member of the Conservative trade union organisation. He joined the Labour Party for a time but lapsed. When the Social Democratic party was formed he became an enthusiastic member until his death at 70yrs in 1984.
[2]. House of Commons, Parliamentary Debates, 16th February 1953 Vol. 511 Col. 892.
[3]. House of Commons, Parliamentary Debates, 6th July 1954, Vol. 529 Col. 2033.
[4]. TSSA Annual Conference Minutes 1956, Item 16.
[5]. House of Commons, Parliamentary Debates, 21st November 1961 Vol. 649 Col.1267.
[6]. Final Report of a Court of Enquiry into a dispute between the BTC and the NUR. Cmnd. 9372.
[7]. Cabinet meeting. Minutes on Transport Reorganisation 18th February 1960.
[8]. The Times 12th April 1980.
[9]. R. A. N. Lowther. (Victoria then Central and Head Office). Joined RCA 1947 and its staff in 1952. Editor TSSJ 1960-1985. Labour Councillor, Chertsey/Runnymede Borough Council since 1956. Chairman of Council and Leader Labour Group. Elected to Surrey CC 1985.
[10]. D. Lee (Carlisle). Joined RCA staff 1952. Appointed Assistant Secretary 1959, Eastern Region Line Secretary 1963.
[11]. R. H. Whitehead (Southern Region MS). Joined RCA 1936. EC 1960-1965; TSSA Trustee 1975-1985. Treasurer Socialist Fellowship 1957-1973.
[12]. C. Hague (Manchester No.6). Joined RCA 1922. Chairman South Lancashire Divisional Council. EC 1962-1968; TSSA Trustee 1969-1975.
[13]. TSSJ June 1958.
[14]. RCA Annual Conference Minutes 1946. Item 45.
[15]. C. Gapper (Bristol). Joined RCA 1935. Chairman, Western and later South Wales and Monmouthshire Divisional Councils. Labour Councillor, Mangotsfield UDC and Swindon Borough Council.
[16]. TUC Annual Report 1946.
[17]. TSSJ June 1951.
[18]. S. Morris (Leeds). Joined RCA 1933. SOC: Secretary of West Yorkshire Political Advisory on its inception in 1964.
[19]. TSSJ July 1954.
[20]. A. Sams (Central and Head Office). Joined RCA 1915 and its staff 1920. Appointed Assistant General Secretary 1953.
[21]. TSSJ July 1954.
[22]. RCA EC Minutes 14th January 1951.
[23]. RCA EC Minutes 6th April 1951.
[24]. M. Campbell (Ayr then Central and Head Office). Joined TSSA 1979, appointed Finance and Education Officer 1991.
[25]. House of Lords Proceedings 11th February 1953 Vol. 180 Col. 366-369, 373-375.
[26]. TSSA EC Minutes 1st October 1955.
[27]. TSSJ November 1956.
[28]. TSSA EC Minutes 27th April 1956.
[29]. Railway Staff National Council Minutes item No. 404. 29th June 1956.
[30]. Railway Staff National Council Minutes item No. 405. 30th July 1956.
[31]. J. A. Birch: General Secretary USDAW and TUC General Council 1949-1961.
[32]. William I. Etherington (Preston then Central and Head Office). Joined TSSA 1946. EC 1959-1967. Appointed TSSA Organising Officer 1968, Irish Secretary 1970, Finance and Education Officer 1978-1991. Elected TSSA Trustee 1993.
[33]. Irish CTU Annual Report 1965.
[34]. T. Herlihy (Dublin No.1) Irish Labour Party Administrative Council 1959-1964. Dublin Corporation Councillor. Contested General Elections 1954, 1961, 1965.
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