CAB128-94_A1b — Page 37

ONFIDENTIA

CONFIDENTIAL

Page 37

transport was unreliable and would as a consequence shift to other forms of transport.

b.

The disputes on the railways were focussed in part on attempts by British Rail to modernise its pay negotiating machinery and by London Underground to modernise its working practices. It was very important that those reforms should and that the unions should not secure an unacceptably high price for achieving this.

proceed

While the travelling public was prepared to tolerate or two 24-hour stoppages, their mood was likely to change rapidly if the disruption continued. Consideration hould be given to whether any further measures could be taken to seek to ease the situation. Consideration should also be given to the scope for the further contracting out and dereenlation of London bus services.

THE PRIME

ER, summing up the discussion, said that the previous daysdustrial action had caused serious hardship to commuters andficant losses to business. The fact that the industrial actio

acad been confined to the public sector underlined the be

of privatisation and deregulation in the transport area.

travelling public would quickly lose patience if the indus action were to continue. It would be wrong for management to give way to the union's unreasonable demands but the Secret

State for Transport should consider urgently whether there are any further steps which could be taken to ease the situat

The Government should be seen to be doing what it could to the travelling public. He should also consider, in consultation th interested colleagues, the scope for the further contracting out and deregulation of London bus services. For the longer announced an expanded road

road

additional roads into the London

The Cabinet

1. Endorsed the Prime

2

the Government had recently

ding

ding

programme, including

Minister's

of

the

Sute for Transport

discussion and invited the Secretary to proceed as she had indicated.

on

the

involving members of the Civil and Public Services

Industrial Action in the Passport

THE HOME SECRETARY, reporting

Department

Previous

Reference

CC(89) 20.2

nation

in the Passport Offices, said that the Passport Department had offered to provide an increase of 45 posts on to

CONFIDENTIAL

increase of 158 already agreed in the number of permanent staff, provided the union agreed to accept flexibility ove transfer of work between Passport offices, to cooperate with

3

Page 37

CONFIDENTIAL

Page 37