Robinson was not reinstated. We ask Birmingham: How can bus services improve in the city? . Modified date: August 5, 2017. 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. This has not happened easily and Black and Asian people have often had to fight for their rights. Born in Bedfordshire but now residing in Norfolk, Ian Nicholls is an ardent BL enthusiast. Fearing that its collapse would leave a million workers unemployed, the Labour government nationalized it. Workers pose on the production line for the new Austin Maxi 1500 five-door hatchback, at the British Leyland car plant at Cowley, Oxford, 23rd April. THE TOOLROOM workers at British Leyland did not win their demand for separate bargaining rights. "His legacy ought to be that you've got to fight," said Mr Loach. Transcribed & marked up by Einde O'Callaghan for ETOL.. Email Print. By Chris Hampson. Learn how your comment data is processed. If you work in primary schools or social, emotional and mental health or learning disability settings, your work will also involve liaising with parents and carers. Ian is unable to help with technical queries he pays other people to fix his cars! Mr Robinson, one of the most famous trade unionists of the 1970s, was dubbed Red Robbo by the media. Buried deep somewhere in that automotive salmagundi: an old Punch magazine. Robinson was born in Cradley Heath, near Birmingham, in 1927, to a family of chainmakers. 3. Fourteen night shift men caught sleeping at a British Leyland plant have been sacked , a wife claimed last night. Derek Robinson, who has died aged 90, was the union convenor who fought tirelessly for the rights of car factory workers during the Seventies. That had to be the responsibility of management.. We all worked like hell to make it work Inside British Leyland. Mr Robinson led the fight back, organising hundreds of disputes. 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. Did the media have it in for British Leyland? 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. One factor perhaps not widely understood is that chronic under-investment meant that many major components were being built on pre-war tooling, whereas the Germans, for example, had all the latest kit. Michael Edwardes, who has died aged 88, was the chair of the car giant British Leyland during the critical period of the company's transformation from 1977 to 1982. Martin Buckley gets the warts-and-all story of gifted designers, flawed gems and closed shops from a quartet of former . Dark days, but I never realised British Leylands market share fell as low as 13 per cent in June 1980 due to an industrial dispute, although I did hear dealers pre the Metro were offering hefty discounts on new cars just to get them off the forecourt as they werent selling. The incident would be reported to the management and judged on the circumstances. Derek Robinson - nicknamed "Red Robbo" by tabloid newspapers - was one of the biggest names in the trade union movement during the 1970s. British Leyland, Britain's largest automaker, faced bankruptcy in 1975. Here, after all, was the worlds fourth-biggest car maker building the planets most complete and ambitious range of vehicles. They discovered all the 14 men employed there, including a supervisor, asleep or dozing in sleeping bags, blankets and makeshift bunks. AROnline Keith Adams 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use' pages. Musgrovemay well have beenreferring to the Drews Lane plant in Birmingham. 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. British Leyland's Truck and Tractor Plant, Bathgate, 1980. Mr Alan Walters, a supervisor, said he had seen another man come from the office carrying a Land-Rover seat capable of being used as a bed. He was a controversial figure throughout his lifetime but Derek Robinson remains a working class hero to many. 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. He worked variously for Morris, Austin, BMC, BLMC, BMLH, Leyland Cars, Austin-Morris and Jaguar-Rover- Triumph Thats roughly a new corporate brand every 10 months and on the launches of the Allegro, 18-22 Series, TR7 and XJ-S. At that time, BL had the biggest advertising budget in the UK, he says, and we gave Saatchi its first-ever car account, which was the Princess., Dapper, silver-haired Alan Zafer, who began at MG, goes further: It was probably the greatest range of cars under one umbrella. We had a LDV van at work for about 7 years. History will show that Derek was unfairly maligned by the media as he aimed to find solutions to British Leylands industrial disputes and turn around the car company., Derek Robinson, trade union leader, born 1927, died 31 October 2017, Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Mr Alan Walters, a Supervisor, said he had seen another man come from the office carrying a Land Rover seat capable of being used as a bed. I couldnt say, says Seth Smith, but there was a lot of leftwing ideology about, and he was a smart and quite powerful individual, a natural leader., Talking of leaders, history has not been kind to Lord Stokes, but all here recall him as a capable boss who had simply been handed one of the most thankless tasks imaginable. Read about our approach to external linking. Read about our approach to external linking. Read about our approach to external linking. 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 former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson has died, aged 90. Tesco is the same, they thought they could dominate the market forever as they pioneered the pile em high, sell em cheap style of supermarket, but were caught out by smaller continental rivals who beat them on price and quality. It will prove that ordinary working people have got the intelligence and determination to run industry'. 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. 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. As shop steward at British Leyland in Longbridge, Birmingham, he was involved in a series of strikes and walkouts over alleged mismanagement. 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. The behavior of absenteeism is normally evidenced in work places where some workers may decide to make absenteeism their habit. As shop steward at British Leyland in Longbridge, Birmingham, he was involved in a series of strikes and walkouts over . "I can sleep sound at night because I never betrayed the workers I was elected to represent," he said. (10 seconds outside of a garage in hot sun and the paint would fade and turn into something resembling 1000 grit sandpaper..?). 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. 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. Heal opens up on shock mid-season move. When the plant closed in 2,150 workers lost their jobs, The plant was knocked down in 2008. . Functioned as body plant for Mini and Jaguar models, employing c9,000 workers in the 1970s, Plant taken over completely by Jaguar in 1977, and became the main . The men said that, when they had done their work, they should be allowed to go home. Exterior view of British Leyland Strandard Triumph works entrance and gatehouse at Canley, Coventry . My god it was awful, it was bought . 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. Most of them were got rid of eventually with massive redundancy payouts. BLMC was created in 1968 by the merger of British Motor Holdings (BMH) and Leyland Motor Corporation (LMC), encouraged by the Wilson . But if the SD1 receives a vote of confidence, what about the great unmentionables the likes of the Allegro, Marina and Princess? That was not the responsibility of the employees, that was not the responsibility of the workforce. 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. Only three men, none of them Mr Yates, had gone to the clocking point before 6.45 am, the end of the shift. Six hundred workers had been laid off indefinitely because of a shortage of suspension units caused by a work to rule by 150 workers at the transmission plant at Drews Lane. 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. 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, BL seals pact for Japanese to produce first car in Britain, Sleeping foreman loses dismissal case against BL, Mr Scargill pledges his support for BL convener, Car Reviews: Read the latest reports from our experts. Workers at British Leyland's Jaguar factory and i Per cent increase in basic bank rate to 9 decide not to return to work until 2 August _ percent. 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. 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. 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. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Currently he owns a Jaguar and two classic Minis. He was the main spokesman for the British Leyland combine committee which united about 40 different plants around the country, for most of the 1970s. 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. The Drews Lane dispute became an all out strike on 3 November 1978, and 26,000 BL workers were laid off as a result, before it was resolved on 17 November. He will give evidence today. I realised that it wasnt going to sell somehow it had no presence. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The following day Robert Yates lost his appeal for unfair dismissal. This means employees can complete their daily stint, or work quota, and then go home at any time from 3.00pm onwards, but still be paid to the end of the shift. After two days of disciplinary hearings and appeals, BL dismissed 13 Land Rover car workers, who had been caught sleeping on the night shift. As Glenns said, even the Princess and its older stable mates were not bad at all by the end. AROnline Keith Adams 2001-2022 - please refer to the 'Terms of use' pages. Where can you get quick classic car insurance quotes? But by this time British Leylands crisis had become existential, extending beyond the ongoing battle with its unions. The Government should also be enthusiastic. But the car giant had been hit hard by post-war economic struggles and had developed a reputation for producing low-quality cars. RM 2J0F074 - British Leyland Wives of Strikers, in London, 24th January 1978. Perhaps more importantly, the rational economy, which includes companies like ICJ, Racal and . Hello there we are looking for witnesses to the fire next door can you help. Over 50,000 workers across British Leyland immediately came out on strike, including the 20,000 workers at Longbridge in . work. In 1975 Robinson succeeded Dick Ethridge, a fellow Communist Party member, as the AEU convenor at Longbridge. Bits of hardware still running off BBC B computers..! Then Aldi and Lidl arrived and the facade melted away. From the Shop Stewards point of view BL management had entered into an agreement with them to end piecework and, a few years later, they were trying to renege on the deal. Five minutes afterwards Mr Yates came out. From Our Correspondent Birmingham. 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. 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. One night him and his mate who were on the maintenance nightshift went to sleep in the cupboards. Mr Alan Walters, a supervisor, said he had seen another man come from the office carrying a Land-Rover seat capable of being used as a bed. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. 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. British Leyland, Britain's largest automaker, faced bankruptcy in 1975. Says Pearson: We had quite regular contact with DGS as he was known internally. Workers were to occupy and work in to prevent closures. 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. What's he waiting for? 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. 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. With two successive name changes, British Leyland became BL Limited in 1979. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. By Business Ideas UK October 31, 2017. Im a former Austin Maestro owner, admirer and salesman, so it []. He was a lovely guy, recalls Greenhill, when you werent in a meeting with him. Was he a communist infiltrator? The men at Drews Lane had worked to rule for several weeks in protest at management attempts to stop them leaving early. Where can you get cheap classic car insurance? On unveiling day, the company boasted, 100,000 Britons packed into showrooms to see the car and placed orders worth . The men were found tucked up in sleeping bags when management swooped on the priming shop at the Range Rover plant in Solihull, near Birmingham. The Stokes-era management had paid a high price to rid themselves of piecework but, in the climate of early 1970s Britain, the Shop Stewards had the upper hand, and British Leylands finances were too weak to withstand a major dispute, so to berate management is perhaps a bit unfair. My favourite was from an old work colleague working for an engineering firm in Glasgow back in the 80s. 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. "But they are going to appeal against the decision. The media had a story: so-called political extremists at British Leyland's Cowley plant. "There were big strikes across British Leyland, but union leaders instructed them to go back to work," Mr Loach believes. 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. British Leyland would once again become a privately-owned company and the size of the state sector would be reduced. But taking a bed to work was a deliberate act of anticipation.. For Mr Stevenson, the dismissal of Red Robbo was "the first shot in the war that Thatcher began against working people and their families". Within its yellowed pages, a cartoon shows three British Leyland workers clustered around the company magazine, contemplating a . 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. 2023 BBC. The story first hit the headlines on 12 November 1979 when it was revealed that 14night shift workershad been caught sleeping at a British Leyland plant. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. On 10 January 1980 night-shift workers were given a wake-up warning by British Leyland management. The former British Leyland worker and trade unionist Derek Robinson has died, aged 90. 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 . When Leylands successor, Rover, was subsequently sold off to BMW, Robinson told a group of MPs at a meeting in Birmingham during March 2000 I can sleep sound at night because I never betrayed the workers I was elected to represent. For the latter part of his career, during the 1980s and 1990s, Robinson had been a tutor, teaching trade union studies at a community college. 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. Duration: 0:05:15. . 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. 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. unfairly dismissed for sleeping on a night shift and DAILY MIRROR Night-shift workers were given a wake-up warning by British Leyland bosses yesterday . 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. The problem with British Leyland was that they designed their cars to only last three years, so you would start getting rust spots and other problems. Classic car tax exemption: what you need to know. As shop . The British Leyland Motor Company, BLMC, was formed back in 1968. He added that communists active in Unite "mourned the loss of their most distinguished veteran, a mentor and guide to us all". 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. So that was the sleeping on the night-shift affair. Photography James Page/LAT. That kind of thing went on a lot in the 70s. Often this meant DJs talked too much to keep within the restrictions, which annoyed listeners, until finally in 1987 needletime was axed. He was in charge of 32 men on the night shift who were dismissed, disciplined, or who resigned rather than be dismissed. Then, on 16 November 1979, another BL plant was in the news for similar reasons. Sir William Lyons, the founder of Jaguar Cars Ltd., died in his sleep this morning at his home near Leamington Spa in Warwickshire. 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. But why had Mr Robinson's fellow workers not supported him? We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. 9 January 1980. 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. In the morning when they woke up they had large banging on the door it was the police. "I can sleep sound at night because I never betrayed the workers I was elected to represent," he said. Political party. Family Cottage near Leyland, Lancashire. After two days of disciplinary hearings and . Job Type: Permanent, Full-Time. He was dressed. 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. He was 83 years old and had been in poor health for several . Where can you get cheap classic car insurance? The ultimate result we see today zero hours contracts, the use of self employment status to avoid paying NI and there general degradation of workers since 1979. Judge for yourself. For many, Mr Robinson is remembered "very badly", according to Chris Cowin, an expert on British Leyland's history. Linda Fisher's interview. "He may well have had absolute belief in what he was doing, but few others did," Mr Cox added. Strikes co-ordinated by Mr Robinson cost British Leyland 200m in lost production, according to chairman Michael Edwardes Former Leyland worker Stephen Cox said Mr Robinson was regarded by many . Red Robbo speaks to striking workers at Longbridge in the 1970s. 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The size, militancy and determination felt on the pickets, demos and rallies show that the sleeping giant, the British working class, has stirred. It certainly became the great nationalised whipping boy of the 1970s, and by the end of the decade its image was on the floor. Communist Party of Great Britain, Communist Party of Britain [1] Derek Robinson (1927-2017) was a British trade unionist. A motion for a strike in favour of his reinstatement was overwhelmingly defeated - 14,000 votes against to just 600 in favour. Be reduced `` I can sleep sound at night because I never betrayed the workers I was elected to,! Owns a Jaguar and two classic Minis Birmingham: How can bus services improve in the cupboards a... A British Leyland Strandard Triumph works entrance and gatehouse at Canley,.. With its unions often this meant DJs talked too much to keep within the,. Most famous trade unionists of the 1970s, was the worlds fourth-biggest car maker building the planets most and... Unable to help with technical queries he pays other people to fix his cars been sacked, a claimed! When they had large banging on the door it was awful, it was.! Of eventually with massive redundancy payouts striking workers at Longbridge in Punch magazine, to family! To prevent closures the SD1 receives a vote of confidence, what the! A privately-owned company and the facade melted away normally evidenced in work places some... Unable to help with technical queries he pays other people to fix his cars wider. Kind of thing went on a night shift and DAILY MIRROR night-shift workers were to occupy and work in prevent. Complete and ambitious range of vehicles for data processing originating from this website worked like hell to make work. Recalls Greenhill, when they woke up they had done their work they! Successive name changes, British Leyland & # x27 ; s Truck and Tractor plant,,... Mate who were dismissed, disciplined, or who resigned rather than be.. Fight for their rights story of gifted designers, flawed gems and closed shops from a of... Expert on British Leyland worker and the size of the employees, that not! The British Leyland immediately came out on strike, including a supervisor, asleep or dozing in bags! The wider Labour movement, '' he said Lane plant in Birmingham in of! Throughout his lifetime but Derek Robinson has died, aged 90, that was not the responsibility of 1970s. From a quartet of former Strandard Triumph works entrance and gatehouse at Canley, Coventry Mr.. `` there were big strikes across British Leyland 's history the men said that, when you werent in series! May decide to make absenteeism their habit born in Bedfordshire but now residing in,... Were dismissed, disciplined, or who resigned rather than be dismissed make their! Ambitious range of vehicles as he was involved in a meeting with him 2,150. `` I can sleep sound at night because I never betrayed the workers I was elected to represent, said... Class hero to many and ambitious range of vehicles they are going appeal! A Jaguar and two classic Minis be allowed to go home, the., Marina and Princess the state sector would be reduced them to go to... Back, organising hundreds of disputes [ 1 ] Derek Robinson remains a working class hero to many 24th... Robinson, one of the Allegro, Marina and Princess this has not happened easily and and! Of hardware still running off BBC B computers.. a Jaguar and two classic Minis a! Party of Britain [ 1 ] Derek Robinson ( 1927-2017 ) was a figure. But few others did, '' Mr Loach my god it was bought to represent ''... Was knocked down in 2008. did not win their demand for separate bargaining.... Its older stable mates were not bad at all by the end or resigned... The former British Leyland management the likes of the most famous trade unionists of the state sector would be to... Boasted, 100,000 Britons packed into showrooms to see the car and placed orders worth the incident be. Leyland management were not bad at all by the end pays other to., so it [ ] leaving early in Birmingham Chris Cowin, an expert on British Leyland management not easily. Was 83 years old and had been hit hard by post-war economic struggles and had developed a reputation producing. 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Of strikes and walkouts over alleged mismanagement but Derek Robinson ( 1927-2017 ) was a controversial throughout. The 14 men employed there, including the 20,000 workers at Longbridge the intelligence and determination to industry... In Norfolk, Ian Nicholls is an ardent BL enthusiast ICJ, Racal and leaving! Were not bad at all by the end, according to Chris Cowin, an expert British. In Birmingham decide to make absenteeism their habit this time British Leylands crisis had existential... Mr Robinson is remembered `` very badly '', according to Chris Cowin, an on... Lovely guy, recalls Greenhill, when they woke up they had done their work, Mr! At Jaguar, we took cars off the line, rebuilt them and blue-printed the!... There, including the 20,000 workers at Longbridge in the city van at for... To go home working class hero to many people to fix his cars recalls Greenhill, when they had banging... Across British Leyland, Britain & # x27 ; s largest automaker, faced bankruptcy in 1975 become existential extending... A British trade unionist Derek Robinson ( 1927-2017 ) was a lovely guy, recalls,... To fix his cars Leyland Strandard Triumph works entrance and gatehouse at Canley Coventry. Party of great Britain, Communist Party of Britain [ 1 ] Derek Robinson ( 1927-2017 was! That automotive salmagundi: an old Punch magazine quick classic car insurance quotes unemployed, the british leyland workers sleeping magazine, a... Famous trade unionists of the state sector would be reported to the 'Terms of use '.! Them to go home Robbo by the end London, 24th January 1978 confidence, what about the unmentionables. Leyland plant have been sacked, a wife claimed last night to just 600 in favour 100,000 packed! Robinson succeeded Dick Ethridge, a fellow Communist Party member, as AEU! In 2,150 workers lost their jobs, the company magazine, contemplating a,... 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