RHA and DEP to talk on productivity
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• Although the trade union side of the National Negotiating Committee for road haulage has refused to meet the employers to discuss the PIB report on road haulage productivity agreements, despite the RHA's request for such a meeting, more success has been achieved by the Association in its similar approach to the Department of Employment and Productivity. The DEP agreed to meet employers and was due to talk with them yesterday (Thursday).
In requesting a meeting with the DEP the Association drew attention to the unions' refusal to come to an NNC meeting to talk about guide lines for local productivity agreements, and it was put to the Department that an RHA/DEP meeting might enable some new initiative to be taken.
Productivity and labour relations also form an important part of the RHA national chairman's message to members in the January issue of Road Way. Mr. Wynn hopes that
drivers will realize that the blackmailing of employers into signing unacceptable wage agreements is no basis for an amicable partnership in road haulage and for future prosperity among employees and hauliers alike.
Mr. Wynn again insists that tachographs are the only real safeguard for operators when the new working hours limit is introduced and operators' licensing is started. He points out that an operator's licence is at risk if his drivers exceed legal hours or speed limits and "only a tachograph disc will enable an operator to find out whether a driver has engaged in a frolic of his own and to take action to deal with the matter before his licence is placed at risk", The RHA chairman says that customer education on turn-round facilities, and the levying of demurrage, must be pressed forward this year. He adds that, where persuasion fails, the reduction of drivers hours will teach wayward users a salutary lesson and the extra 5d a gallon on the fuel duty will be small compared with the increase in transport costs and rates that is likely to occur then.