The giant fork lift truck company, Lansing Bagnall of Basingstoke, recently appointed a new 'employee relations officer, whose job is to represent the company in any problem involving its workers. Accoraing to Mr u bone, one or me company's public relations officers, the man taking the job "will have the task of looking into any gripes or moans and trying to smoothe them over'.
It is unusual for trade unions to worry unduly about wno is to hold such a post in the company where they work. But many of the workers at Lansing Bagnall could hardly believe their ears when mev newe mal a wr raereny had taken the job. The reason for their surprise is that until he was defeated in the AUEW elections earlier this year, Farrelly was the Union's divisional organiser in Hampshire. He is also a member of Some workers in the area, however, will not be surprised at Farrelly's apparent about-turn. Workers at anther Basingstoke fac tory, Eaton's (formerly Thorneycroft's), may well remember his behind-the-scenes manoeuvrings ouring weu tv-week occupanol against redundancies in 1972. Committed as he is to counter-revolutionary politics, Farrelly has also fought to keep all politics out of the Chile Solidarity Campaign in Reading.
Little wonder that when he found himself out of work after 20 years as a trade union official, Farrelly said that he had no fear of prejudice from employers arising from his union attachments. Indeed Mr Bone of Lansing Bag nall believes that with his union background we feel he is a first class man for this employee relations job'.
Since his appointment Farrelly has attended at least one meeting between management and union representatives, in which he playe a big part in the victimisation of the ACTS clerical staff representative for an article about the company in the local Trades Council paper.
No wonder emse bagal! management told the Basingstoke Gazette: "Mr Farrelly is doing exactly the same job for us as he was doing for the union. There is no question of him changing sides or any thing like that."