Continuing about the Lorry Drivers’ strike
At ten o’clock one evening our driver’s went on official strike. There were however many drivers who were away from home and in every case they completed their work and returned back to Spennymoor to join the strike as soon as their work tasks were completed,
The Hub of the strike was Thorn with their closed shop but even in 1979 they were spending in excess of £2Million a year with us. A significant sum today but when you adjust for inflation it will be nearer 10 times in 2011 figures.
Only drivers were on strike, which left porters, warehouse staff, traffic staff, Office staff and maintenance staff still working. Vehicles were still being tested at Darlington Test Station and maintained as normal. And work was carrying on as normal, be it that we had no substantial income. We weren’t just like an average haulier, our work was much more specialised and our overheads reflected that fact.
We could have easily got most if not all the drivers to work and many of our customers were not unionised. Who I felt really sorry for were the people who had removals booked by us. They had sold their homes and needed to move.
Hoults at Newcastle for one had continued with management and fitters driving to enable removals to go ahead, but we decided not to antagonise the situation and ensure no work was done. We wanted the strike over as soon as possible without ant unwelcome consequences.
Most, if not all our customers agreed with us and gave us their moral support. Our telephones were as busy as usual mostly asking about progress and how long the strike might go on. Our driver’s picketed Courtaulds to protect their jobs…
As I explained as well as us working for Thorn there was Direct Transport at Shildon and John Dee at Ferryhill. Only five years earlier Direct had traded as Davisons Transport and John Davison had been joint Managing Director with John Monk. Trouble, which I’m sure I could recount if it was not for possibly legal consequences, had broken out with Northern Land who were the parent Company of Davisons and John Davison, which resulted in John’s desk being emptied and being escorted from the premises. Davisons were renamed Direct Transport.
John went on to form John Dee and there were no direct conversations between Direct and John Dee. Direct was run by John Monk an accountant who I feel I could best describe as a gentleman. He was a Gentleman surrounded by a pack of to be polite let me describe them as likeable rogues. Direct was effectively run by a chap called Dennis Coates, who was I believe related to a scrap dealer Coates of I Think Fencehouses. I honestly believe Monk either didn’t know of some of Diirect’s working practices or turned a blind eye. Coates claimed and seemed to run the place and also was TGWU shop Stewart. He said his\ workers would do what he said.
Consequently three way telephone conversations regularly took place between me, Coates of Direct Transport and John and passing conversation between the two along with my input, talking to each with two phones at the same time,. Infect it was more of a 4 way conversation with Pearl Davison, John’s then wife constantly interrupting and giving her thoughts and advise to John. It seemed to me that at that time John was relying on Pearl’s advice a lot.
Eventually we had a meeting with the MD of Thorn at Spennymoor. It was agreed that we would get the full support from Thorn’s unions to return to work, so it was agreed that three vehicles, one of ours, one of Direct and one pf John Dee going through the barrier at Thorn, together the next morning at 8-00AM and so we were back at work. I think the strike went on for quite some time after that but we were back at work with all our customers content…
Coates later told me that he had found out that had JD not returned within two days they would have gone under. ‘And if I had known that’ he went on to tell me ‘I would have made sure the strike would have gone on another week and we would have got rid of that bxxxxxd once and for all’.
My wife to be (at that time) worked as our receptionist/telephonist and was given the job to ring all our drivers telling them to get themselves back to work, With Caroline Vane the telephone number was at her family home, just .a small house a few miles from Staindrop which looked like Brideshead revisited and was much more impressive that Raby Castle. ‘Barnard Here’ came the reply to her phone call and she went on to ask Lord Barnard to tell his daughter she had to return to work.
still in perfect condition
