1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164 
Cuts spark strike vote
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
II Nearly 50 Christian Salvesen drivers are to vote on strike action after being told their meal allowance will be scrapped and holiday pay cut to finance a wage increase.
The Thansport & General Workers Union (MG) says the company Is also Insisting drivers work weekends to reduce the need for agency and subcontracted drivers. The dispute at Salvesen's multi-user cold storage depot in Easton, Lincolnshire, affects 54 drivers and fitters out of a total staff of 250.
Geoff Espin, T&G regional organiser; says the drivers earn a basic S5.90/hr, one of the lowest rates in the group.
"They have had a final offer of 3% which Salvesen says has got to be self-financing. Holiday pay is based on pay for a 13-hour day and the company wants to reduce thls to 11 hours. "The offer is conditional upon a certain number of drivers working Saturdays and Sundays as overtime shifts.
"We've never discussed how to put it into practice, because the whole deal is unacceptable," says Espin.
Ho says negotiations originally started last year and have dragged on aver since, partly because of changes to senior management.
"What is curious is that the company is not adhering to its own procedures for avoidance of disputes, which is to go to ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) In the final stage."
A spokesman for Saivesen says negotiations are still continuing at local level. However, Espin says the ballot on strike action is due to start on Tuesday 15 July.