Depots/outstations which haved closed down due poor industrial relations

[Simon75]

Both current and historically, have there been depots/outstations that have closed down due poor industrial relations/strikes ?

 

[randyrippley]

In the late 1970's Hutchings & Cornelius of South Petherton, Somerset were closed by the owners (Vincents of Yeovil, car dealers) rather than agree a pay increase. This was shortly after Western National had closed its competing 466 Yeovil-Petherton service. The H&C drivers gambled on fares going up in the absence of competition and threatened a strike, but the business wasn't profitable, wasn't mainstream for Vincents so they pulled the plug.

On a different scale, following a strike Stagecoach carved up much of Ribble's East Lancs operations. Clitheroe and some other outstations were simply shut, the major depots were sold off

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Both current and historically, have there been depots/outstations that have closed down due poor industrial relations/strikes ?

Major ones that I can recall which were directly as a result were:

Crosville - Love Lane depot in Liverpool after the 1987 strike
Crosville Wales depot in Wrexham
Central SMT - Wishaw and East Kilbride were allegedly closed because of the militancy of those depots and fall out of the 1989 strike
London Forest - Ash Grove and Walthamstow

Arguably, much of London Country (North East) was rationalised and depots closed because of poor performance compounded by poor IR - sure our resident LCNE expert will be able to provide more detail.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Mar 2023 ==

On a different scale, following a strike Stagecoach carved up much of Ribble's East Lancs operations. Clitheroe and some other outstations were simply shut, the major depots were sold off

Clitheroe was one of four depots (with Blackburn, Burnley and Bolton) that were sold to Blazefield. It was later closed by them not Stagecoach

 

[randyrippley]

Clitheroe was one of four depots (with Blackburn, Burnley and Bolton) that were sold to Blazefield. It was later closed by them not Stagecoach

My memory must be fading......but it was the strike that directly led to the disposals

 

[A0]

Arguably, much of London Country (North East) was rationalised and depots closed because of poor performance compounded by poor IR - sure our resident LCNE expert will be able to provide more detail.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Mar 2023 ==


Clitheroe was one of four depots (with Blackburn, Burnley and Bolton) that were sold to Blazefield. It was later closed by them not Stagecoach

I think with LCNE, it actually led to the withdrawl of a lot of old vehicles and a more focused, downsized fleet.

In terms of depot closures, really they were just resites, don't forget LCNE was split when sold, whilst the bus operations went to AJS, the property went to Parkdale holdings, a property developer who wanted the sites for housing.

So, from west to east IIRC:

St Albans closed and an outstation was set up at the council yard on Sandridge Road.

Hatfield closed, initially they moved to the old Henly's filling station in Welwyn GC, then after the Welwyn Hatfield Line takeover their site in Codicote before going to North Mymms.

Stevenage was part sold to Luton & District and Sovereign moved out to the Jubilee Coaches site at Babbage Road having acquired Jubilee. L&D vacated the site and went to Norton Green Road which Arriva have recently vacated.

Hertford was closed and initially moved to Hoddesdon taking the former Sampson's site on Pinder Road before moving to Marsh Lane, Ware, where they still are.

Harlow is still open.

Not sure what happened with Grays - a bit out of my area.

All of the above is from memory so happy to be corrected.

 

[Taunton]

In the late 1970's Hutchings & Cornelius of South Petherton, Somerset were closed by the owners (Vincents of Yeovil, car dealers) rather than agree a pay increase. This was shortly after Western National had closed its competing 466 Yeovil-Petherton service. The H&C drivers gambled on fares going up in the absence of competition and threatened a strike, but the business wasn't profitable, wasn't mainstream for Vincents so they pulled the plug.

Was a surprise locally. H&C was a very family/local operation, and many of the drivers had been with them long term. Quite a number had previous/family connections.

 

[Fleetmaster]

Bexleyheath? Reopened for Bexleybus, then failed due to industrial action. It lost the last remaining routes on re-tender with the garage passing to Central, presumably not on TUPE terms.

Jesmond 2.0? Long term costs arising from a deal to avert a strike which was called to stop the closure of the decrepit and cramped original depot. It probably now means that Arriva will never be able to regain the position of strength that, either a like for like replacement or equivalent restructuring would have brought.

 

[M803UYA]

Was a surprise locally. H&C was a very family/local operation, and many of the drivers had been with them long term. Quite a number had previous/family connections.

Laurie James 2003 book 'Somerset's Buses' charts the end of Hutchings and Cornelius (H&C) - it's broadly similar to the scenario described above. It had long been a source of resentment among H&C staff that they earned less than Western National drivers competing on the same route. When the competing service was withdrawn the H&C drivers wanted an increase in view of the additional work they were having to do. They weren't unionised at the time, but they wanted a pay increase which wasn't what the union would have demanded - but it was made clear the drivers would join the union and have the rate imposed if the company didn't accept. Rather than seek subsidy from Somerset County Council the owners decided to close the company.

If Vincents had waited a few more years, deregulation might have helped H&C by providing new business opportunities for the company - at the expense of the local NBC operation which would have been competing against a well resourced parent company which had the bulk of it's revenues from car sales and vehicle hire. Yeovil depot might well have been closed under that climate. Or H&C taken over by Southern National.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Jesmond 2.0? Long term costs arising from a deal to avert a strike which was called to stop the closure of the decrepit and cramped original depot. It probably now means that Arriva will never be able to regain the position of strength that, either a like for like replacement or equivalent restructuring would have brought.

Jesmond wasn't cramped - that was part of the problem in that you had a very large and expensive depot that they'd sold and leased back, and is in a highly desirable location.

They were going to have a Jesmond v2. That was the original plan but they then elected to simply expand Blyth and consolidate ops there and at Ashington. That caused the strike, and the tenancy at Walkergate is a temporary measure.

 

[deconte]

Think the closure of Grantham depot by Lincolnshire Road Car in 2004 would qualify under this heading

 

[Roilshead]

MIdland Red's Cradley Heath depot closed as part of the 1971 depot closures. I've read that Midland Red had planned to close Brierley Hill, which was smaller then Cradley Heath, but the Cradley Heath crews proved difficult about accepting revised schedules to accommodate work transferred from Brierley Hill, whereas the Brierley Hill men (perhaps not surprisingly, if they knew they were under threat of closure) were much more amenable to taking on work from Cradley Heath . . . so it was that Cradeley Heatth, rather than Brierley Hill, closed.

 

[Statto]

Crosville depot in Liverpool had suffered from poor industrial relations for years, which came to a head early 1987 over the use of ex WMPTE Bristol VRs without power steering. A VR was allocated to an all day duty, a staff member was suspended for refusing to drive it, so all the staff went out on strike. A few weeks later management decided to sack all the staff & close down the depot.

 

[busesrusuk]

Not sure if its in the spirit of what the OP wanted but the London Bus strike in 1958 directly led to the closure of a number of garages , including relatively new facilities. I would need to consult the history books but IIRC Rye Lane, Clapham and Putney Bridge all closed and routes reallocated following some severe cuts to services once staff returned to work...

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

MIdland Red's Cradley Heath depot closed as part of the 1971 depot closures. I've read that Midland Red had planned to close Brierley Hill, which was smaller then Cradley Heath, but the Cradley Heath crews proved difficult about accepting revised schedules to accommodate work transferred from Brierley Hill, whereas the Brierley Hill men (perhaps not surprisingly, if they knew they were under threat of closure) were much more amenable to taking on work from Cradley Heath . . . so it was that Cradeley Heatth, rather than Brierley Hill, closed.

Not so certain about that. Harts Hill was definitely a larger site and they'd spent a lot of money on new facilities for it just 7 years earlier

Crosville depot in Liverpool had suffered from poor industrial relations for years, which came to a head early 1987 over the use of ex WMPTE Bristol VRs without power steering. A VR was allocated to an all day duty, a staff member was suspended for refusing to drive it, so all the staff went out on strike. A few weeks later management decided to sack all the staff & close down the depot.

Ahem... see post 3

 

[Simon75]

Would Arriva Winsford/Macclesfield which close April 2023 count, as they were on Strike summer 2022 ?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Would Arriva Winsford/Macclesfield which close April 2023 count, as they were on Strike summer 2022 ?

No - Arriva has stated that both sites were loss making before Covid

 

[Statto]

Ahem... see post 3

I gave a bit more detail behind it.

Major ones that I can recall which were directly as a result were:

Crosville - Love Lane depot in Liverpool after the 1987 strike
Crosville Wales depot in Wrexham
Central SMT - Wishaw and East Kilbride were allegedly closed because of the militancy of those depots and fall out of the 1989 strike
London Forest - Ash Grove and Walthamstow

Arguably, much of London Country (North East) was rationalised and depots closed because of poor performance compounded by poor IR - sure our resident LCNE expert will be able to provide more detail.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Mar 2023 ==


Clitheroe was one of four depots (with Blackburn, Burnley and Bolton) that were sold to Blazefield. It was later closed by them not Stagecoach

Irony of Crosville Wales closing Wrexham, they returned to Wrexham with a new depot a few years later in early 94, which is still in use today as Arriva Wrexham depot.

A bit more info on the Crosville Wales strike from this section

Crosville - Wrexham area

Crosville did not have a significant impact on the bus scene of Wrexham area until the 1930s. For the first part of the 20th Century, after the development of the motor bus, the Wrexham area was served mainly by the Wrexham and District Transport Company Limited, the Great Western Railway and a

www.crosville.org

The situation in Wrexham for Crosville Wales became even more difficult as there was a bitter dispute between the company and its staff. This resulted in drivers taking strike action starting in October 1990. The company responded by sacking the 120 drivers. A number of other operators picked up the services that Crosville Wales were unable to operate and a large majority of these went to Wrights.