ay claim gets • TGWU go-ahead
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TRANSPORT and General Workers Union pay policy has been approved by the union's national council — and it is now up to the branches to pursue when they put their claims in.
Subsistence at the rate of £7 a night and a five per cent pay rise are two of the items on the ten-point policy put forward by national organiser Mr Jack Ashwell.
The new policy is based on the plan which was put forward some months ago and includes an inquiry into drivers digs as one of its provisions.
Publication of the plan followed from the recent three month dispute over subsistence which is bound to flare up again over the new claim.
Other points in the plan include non-contributory sickness and accident schemes with better standards of health and safety and the speedy setting up of lorry routes.
Other claims include four weeks holiday, a shorter working week with no loss of pay, job security and compulsory insurance cover.
Already the United Road Transport Union has put in a claim that is similar to the TGWU charter. Negotiations have already broken down as employers face a long drawn out wrangle over the subsistence issue. Reaction from the industry was mixed but not unhappy about the claim. The Freight Transport Association's assistant secretary Bill Mills said his advice to members would be to negotiate within the Social Contract.
"The five per cent rise has to be justified against the Retail Price Index as does the E7 a night subsistence," he said, "but I shall advise members that they can't really negotiate longer holidays as a separate part of the package," said Mr Mills.
"Some of the ingredients of the package are outside the pay code I think, but members would be well advised to negotiate what they can within the social contract," he said.
A Road Haulage Association spokesman agreed: "This musi be measured against the pa3 policy," he said, "the questior of better accommodation for drivers is one that we are alsc concerned about.
"We have already had dis cussions with union leaden and it would seem that thf right way to do this would la to mount a joint investigatior and produce a set of standard: ourselves."
But on pay the RHA stil thinks there should be a Na tional Joint Committee tc settle pay negotiations rathe than having regional negotia tions in different parts of tiu country.
"This will have to be consi dered by the Labour Relation; Committee anyway," said du RHA spokesman.