A special correspondent reports: Mark Gapper, Labour ccrresponjent of the Fhancial Times, creeted the decision to take the busmen's pay award tc ccurt as a victory for the Gevernment in the raper's January 26 issue, He said: 'The government yesterday rained an important psvcholorical victcry. over trade union opponents of its incomes policy when the TGaU decided against strike action in the husren's py dispute. Instead of using its industrial streneth, the TGW will fo to the courts to try to o tain leral enforcerent of its agreement with the 97 municipal bus authorities for a.pay rise of £1 a week, This will give the sovernment. mich less anxiety than the strike threat which existed until a »usmen's delecate conference yesterday voted by 52 to 11 avainst a national stoppare. It seers certain that the Government will shortly use its povers under Part II of the Prices and Incomes Act to impose a compulsory six month standstill on the municipal busren's wages. 3ut the TGA believes that it can at least obtain a court. ruling in favour of the £1 a week being paid from the date of the agreement, December 11, to the date when the Part II diréction is applied. The union is proahly mistaken in this view, Since Mr. Clive Jenkin's Association of Supervisory Staf’,s Executives and Technicians cause’ such a fuss in the courts last year about the validity of the oririnal Prices an1 Incomes Act, the Government has strengthened the new act to cope with just such a challenge as the TGW is making. “7.
Under the new Act, the Government can direct that a proposed pay rise should be frozen, not only immediately, but back to the date when the agreement was made. Under these circumstanées, it is an astonishing climh-down for the TGWU to be takins legal action rather than. industrial action. It will disappoint other militant unicns which have heen waiting to see the TGMU enrage in a trial of strength with the Government. The right wing cf the trade union movement will dou’tless heave a sigh of relief because rovernment spokesmen have stated recently that if unions are irresponsible over wages the rovernment will take counteraction either throurh taxation or through strengtheninr its incomes policy powers. There is no doubt that Mr. Gunter has taken much of the heat cut of the bus dispute by insisting that he would use Part II of the Prices and Incomes Act to compel the bus employers to withhold the extra £1 a week. Mr. Frank Cousins, general secretary of the TGW, advised a ‘usmen's cenference last week to underta&e a series of selectrive strikes at a limited number of towns, and to levy contributions from all the 77 000 municipal busren to make up the wages of the strikers, It was the militants who persuaded last week's conference to reject Mr. Cousin's advice on the prounds that any strike should involve all the busmen, But they were outmanoeuvred by Mr.. Ccusins, who detected at vesterday's conference. that the delegates were in no mood for a nationwide strike in defiance of the Government. He advised thér nct ‘tc fight the.Gcvernment “ut instead to confine the strugrle tc the union and the employers. His proposal that the TGWU should take legal action pleased most. . delepates though there is a danger that the militant minority may return to their home towns with plans for local stoppages. This danger mainly affects Scotland, The TGWU will take action at county courts in each of the 9° municipalities on behalf of its lecal bus members,