CHAOS erupted on buses because of a pay row for drivers in 1979.

The union leaders had given their bosses a 14-day deadline to pay up, and their deadline was due to tun out in two days.

A meeting was held on Monday night, but the press were not invited to it. This caused some stir.

Ratepayers representative councillor, Malcolm Smith, demanded to know why the press were not invited.

He said: "I want to know on whose authority this decision was made. It should be put to the committee members to decide whether the Press and public should be excluded."

Councillor Smith said a busman had turned up at the meeting and was allowed to stay after a proposal to exclude the press and public was defeated.

The committee heard that the busmen's union had written to transport director Mr William Dobbie asking that some drivers on one-man operation and conventional buses should be paid OMO rates all the time.

OMO drivers enjoyed a higher wage that drivers of conventional drivers, and many people thought this was unfair.

The union wrote to the transport director to warn them of the consequences.