1979 Drivers Strike

[Western SMT]

Found this and although I moved house that year I must have had my head in the sand as I've never heard of it before.

In 1979 approximately 50,000 truck drivers went on strike for a period of six weeks in an effort to secure a substantial wage increase. Although only 12% of all truck drivers participated in this industrial action, many were engaged in 'secondary picketing', disrupting freight flows to and from premises other than those directly operated by their employers. Much of the secondary picketing was targeted on the food distribution system. Over the first two weeks of the strike this type of picketing severely constrained food movements at the upper levels of the supply chain, forcing consumers to rely heavily on the stocks of food held at or near the points of sale. In the late 1970s, inventory levels were substantially higher than today offering a greater cushion against transport disruptions.

Can anybody remember this

[G-CPTN]

I don't remember it.
I recall the miner's strike with coal stockpiled at power stations (and the '3-day power' week). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-day_week

[Western SMT]

This gives a list of 70's events -

http://www.bl.uk/chronology/1970.html

I remember the power strikes very well and had to work some funny hours.

[G-CPTN]

Looking at http://www.bl.uk/chronology/2000.html I'm sure that some of the events listed happened way before or way after other events listed as happening the same year . . .

[G6 UXU]

I remember it well, it got very ugly at times because a lot of drivers mainly owner drivers kept on working. I got stuck in Northern Ireland and I had to leave the wagon in Ballymoney and fly home from Aldergrove Airport.

[dmackay]

I remember it, but i think it was well over before we heard about it up here

[Western SMT]

It seems I do remember something about the 1979 strike after all, I had to drive down to Wales in my own car and because of the fuel shortage the service stations would only give you 2 gallons at a time. This did not get you far as I had a Jag 4.2 auto bought for £1000 and sold 6 months later for the same money.
The trip was done during the night and some of the charmers at these service stations did offer you more petrol but at a highly inflated cost, my money was not going in their pockets so 2 gallons and off I went looking for the next service station.

[Energumen]

Hey, if you drove as I used to then, you would have been lucky to reach it. Lol. The fuel guage, left the clock standing.

[Energumen]

That image of the Jaguar quite distracted me then.

I remember, the strike too well, it did set many people against each other, as did the miner's strike.

This is one of the worst dilemmas a man can face, does he back the strike and his fellow workers to get long term, better conditions, or if he has no alternative support or resources, does he work on, to put food on the table in the immediate present?. It is a horrible situation, and though I believe in trade unions, with a sensible and reasonable approach to negotiations etc.. I do not in any way condone packs of men, denigrating and threatening individuals, AND their families, for excercising the right that was won and preserved at the cost of countless lives, to do the best they could for their families.

[Western SMT]

As you know these things could move if you had a heavy foot but on this trip it was a gentle 60 all the way.
The rev counter had a mind of it's own and I only had one cassette for the 'modern' 8 track so it was a long night. Coming back was just as exciting, thick fog all the way.