Gangway No.1 Spring 1976 - BlueStarLine.org

The
COl
wins
The f ollowing is the text DJ a speech made by
Mr J G PaYlle in Grimsby Town H all on
5 December 1975 at a dinller given by United
Towing alld H umber Tugs:
At a time when I suspect we are all
scratching to keep our head above water or
more definitively when we 3rc trying to
retain in our businesses a positive cash flow
it is probably worth once again having a
look at the basic elements which make a
shipping company's profit and loss account
good, bad or indifferent.
On 1 April 1974 I gave the Reginald
Grout M emorial lecture in the City of
London and the subject was 'British Liner
Shipping: Future Prospects and Problems'.
I then said British Liner Shipping should
have three principal objectives-these
were:
- that if we were to remain in business
that we account on a replacement cost
depreciation basis
-next, that we must continue to improve
the efficiency of our ports and transport
network
- and last, that we must work closer than
ever with our customers.
These remarks were made at a time of
relati ve economic boom-it does however
seem to me that the remarks have possibly
even more force at a time of economic
decline.
I do not intend to dwell on accounting
problems tonight as Mr Sandiland and
others are tending to gi ve us all mental
indigestion at the moment, nor do I intend
to talk about customer relations, despite
the importance of good customer relations.
It seems appropriate whilst here on
Humberside to simply state the essentials
of a good port from a shipowner's point of
view.
I make no apologies for stating the
obvious because we tend to live in an era
when the obvious or the truth, if you like,
is clouded by other issues, at worst
political issues or a genuine fear of the
truth.
Costs of ships and equipment escalate
at a rate hitherto unknown-here may I
illustrate that container ships which were
delivered to us in 1969 should have cost us
about four million pounds, will probably
end up costing us eight million pounds
because of the declining value of the pound
and similar ships to be delivered in 1977
will probably leave us no change out of
twenty-five million pounds.
\'qith tugs, supply boats, ferries, tramps,
bulk carriers all costing two or three times
the amount they would have done five to
ten years ago the one thing that shipowners
are aUlooking for more than ever before is
maximum utilisation of their assets. Ships
at sea make money, ships in port cost
money. ] n other words we all want our
ships in and out of port in the shortest
possible space of time. \'\lhat, therefore,
apart from an efficient tug service, makes a
port work-probably three or four things
only :
- the right equipment, there is nothing
more soul destroying than the wrong
equipment
-the right amount of space in which to
operate
-good management
-and last but not least, the desire on the
part of the men in the port to work.
Funnily enough, good management and
good men working in harmony can overcome
poor equipment and a shortage of
space-therefore one must put the men in
the port and their attitude to the job in
hand as the essential ingredient of a
successful port.
What creates harmony in a management!
men relationship? Much has been written
by so-called experts on this subject. To me
the essential factors are:
-an identifiable, accessible and respected
boss who is not a faceless wonder
-and men who desire to work and are
willing to accept that some disciplines
are necessary for a job to be done
efficiently.
Many of you will say 'what about the
Trade Unions in all this?' Their role to me
is a complementary one. The U nions
should ensure that the men get a fair deal
and protect the individual against bad
management. Unions should negotiate
agreements on behalf of the men-if that
is necessary. But having negotiated an
agreement, I do believe the Unions have a
very real and ultimate responsibility of
making sure that their members abide by
that agreement. If an agreement simply
becomes a basis for further negotiation
then in simple terms 'all is lost' . Nothing
will ever work efficiently on that basis. I
do not accept however that Unions are
essential, if for no other reason than that a
Union which cannOt or will not control its
members is probably our worst enemy
today. Unions require good management
just as business requires good management.
Might I liken a Union which has lost
control of its members to business management
which has lost control of its costs.
The end result is chaotic.
No doubt many of you will be sitting
here tonight saying 'easier said than done',
and I agree-most things are easier said
than done. But has not the time arri ved
when each and everyone of us, whether we
be manager or clerk, director or crane
driver, chairman or office boy, should ask
ourselves one simple question-are we
worth the money in our take home pay?­
are we giving a day's work for a day's pay?
1fnot, what is stopping us-is it indifferent
management, lack of leadership, an undisciplined
work force or the mistaken
belief that 'she'll be right', to coin an
Australian expression. One thing is certain,
nothing will ever be right unless a lot of
the nonsense which goes on at the present
moment is very firml y sat on in all places
in our society. \'\le all have a responsibility
in this regard and all I simply suggest is
that unless we all discharge that responsibility
we are not playing our part.
Gentlemen, if I sound like a politician I
apologise. The simple fact is that good
ports employ good men who do not
tolerate nonsense. Men and management
working in harmony dispose of nonsense
quicker than any Union agreement, work
procedure or terms of reference. \'\le can
have all the pieces of paper we like in the
world, but none will ever be able to replace
that very essential ingredient in life-all
of us working as a team together. Nobody
in the company which employs me works
for me, I hope they all work with me for
the company.
May I just say one thing in conclusion,
not with the deliberate intention of embarrassing
Mr \'\lilbraham. My remarks are
addressed to those who work with him. I
have only known Mr Wilbraham about
two years. During that period a friendship
has grown up between us based on, I
believe, mutual respect-for my part it is
based on respect and admiration. Your
companies, T ony, are essentially family
companies where the boss is anything but a
faceless wonder-I too work for a family
company, but have had the opportunity to
work in other environments. There is no
comparison between working with a family
company and working in other broaderbased
companies. The family company
wins every time. This country was
essentially built on family companies and
it is in these great family companies that
one observes the complete lack of nonsense.
] consider myself privileged to work in a
fami ly company and also to be associated
with other fami ly companies such as yours.
On behalf of all your guests may I not
only once aga in say thank you, but also
wish you personally, your family, and all
your staff who work with you, every success
for the future-thank you.
[Mr A B (Tony) Wilbraham is Chairman
of United Towing and Humber Tugs. The
Wilbraham family are majority shareholders
of the Companies.]