THOUSANDS of people in Oxford were left stranded at bus stops after pickets stopped buses leaving their depot.

Busmen employed by City of Oxford Motor Services had voted by a clear majority against joining a one-day strike.

But pickets swarmed around the entrance to the Cowley Road depot on May 1, 1973 to prevent buses leaving. Only five vehicles managed to get through the 50-strong barricade.

Bus crews then held a 40-minute meeting and decided not to cross the picket line, leaving their leader, Arthur Gillians, to announce: “To all intents and purposes, there is no bus service in Oxford today.”

The pickets relented and allowed buses to take children to Mabel Prichard special school and nurses from their hostel in Headington to the Radcliffe Infirmary.

But thousands of other workers and schoolchildren had to find other ways to get to work and to school, many no doubt giving up and going home.

What caused most anger was that none of the pickets were busmen – they were mostly trade unionists from the Cowley car factories.

Bus company traffic manager Alan Price said the pickets had made it almost impossible to get buses out.

He added: “The point I want to emphasise is the loyalty and hard work of our staff who have attempted to get these buses on the road. They have been threatened with physical violence. The pickets are not busmen – they have nothing to do with us.”

The national day of protest against Government policies had been organised by the Trades Union Congress, with local strikes coordinated by Oxford and District Trades Council.

The action led to a lively debate in the letters columns of the Oxford Mail.

One reader said that after voting to work, the bus crews should have been allowed to do so, without interference from Cowley militants. Another accused the pickets of illegal bullying.

But one of the pickets pointed out that the Government had reneged on its promises to reduce prices and unemployment and build more houses at affordable prices.

It was also allowing “pitiful” pay increases for public workers, while giving handsome tax relief to the better off.

Three years later, in February 1976, another national one-day strike was called, over cuts to rural bus services, and this time, Oxford busmen supported the action.

But fears of jam-packed roads and car parks in Oxford proved groundless. Workers took the day off, walked or shared a car to work, or, as one commentator said, “stayed in bed in the throes of flu, or in anticipation of it”.

Picture captions

Heave-ho – a bus tries to leave the Cowley Road depot, but is stopped by the crowd of pickets

The bus driver won this battle – he forced his way through, despite the efforts of pickets