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
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192 
Warning: Tankers will stop!
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A NATIONAL UNION boss warns that oil tanker drivers will bring the country to its knees unless industry and government take their demands for improved pay and conditions seriously.
The warning by Sir Bill Morris, general secretary of the Transport & General Workers Union, follows the launch of a campaign to discuss grievances in a national forum (CM 9 October).
He says: "Every aspect of the life we take for granted requires a secure, safe supply of oil. No one wants to see a repeat of the fuel blockades, so both industry and government have a responsibility to work with us to address concerns and avoid another stranglehold on the nation's oil supplies."
He adds that unless industry agrees to talk it will face drivers "at the refinery gate".
The T&G claims that morale is at an all-time low among the UK's 3,000 oil tanker drivers, who are mostly represented by the T&G.
However, Peter Lamer. MD of JW Suckling Transport in Essex. says this mood is not apparent among his 70 drivers: "I see the drivers every day and have not picked up on the fact that they are unhappy about these issues."
The T&G claims that pension provision has deteriorated or even disappeared as a result of increased subcontracting to logistics companies. But Charles Carr, communications director for Wincanton.says all of its tanker drivers have pension provision, although it closed its final salary scheme to entrants earlier this year.