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No limit on drivers' weekly work time

10th September 1998
Page 4
Page 4, 10th September 1998 — No limit on drivers' weekly work time
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

by Miles Brignall and David Craik • The Government will not be including own-account drivers in its implementation of the Working Time Directive. The news came as EU Transport Commissioner Neil Kinnock met his social affairs counterpart Padraig Flynn to discuss future pan-EU working time limits for all truck drivers.

Even as they spoke, drivers' unions across Europe staged go-slows and blockades to protest at the number of hours they are being forced to work.

As CM went to press it emerged that the Department of Trade & Industry has decided that drivers working for own-account hauliers will be exempted from the 48-hour working week limit, along with their hire or reward colleagues.

Some feared that drivers working for companies which run trucks as part of another business might have had their working time restricted in line with nondriving colleagues. The Freight Transport Association, which had argued that it would have been a nonsense for the two sets of drivers to be treated differently, has hailed the decision as a victory.

Meanwhile, Kinnock has called on the unions and employers' organisations to arrive at an agreement on working time for drivers when they meet on 18 September. He wants the hours worked by truck drivers to be reduced—and if the talks on the 18 September fail, he promises to bring forward his own proposal on how to achieve this. However, any Commission proposal would have to be ratified by the UK Government.

• The International Day of Action on 8 September called by the International Transport Workers' Federation to highlight the worldwide need for a reduction in drivers working hours has had mixed effects on UK hauliers.

John Clark. director of Hargrave International, says his drivers were stopped by demonstrators handing out leaflets at Calais but were not delayed.

Paul Woodward, European commercial manager of Kent's Mike Beer Transport cancelled some jobs for France on 8 September but says: "It has been a smooth passage."

However, Hampshire owner-driver Mike Scott says he and 60 other trucks were forced off a major road near the Frejus Tunnel by local police due to the blockades. Scott says he expected to be parked for the whole day. "No-one knew what was happening." he adds. "I applaud the cause but they have to let us move."

Brittany Ferries says sailings were not affected despite not much moving in or out" of blocked ports at Cherbourg, Caen and Le Havre. As CM went to press a spokesman was confident that the blockades would only last until 17:00hrs and would not be too damaging.


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