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Exclusive
Page 6
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Strike protesters hail vidory
Lafarge forced to reconsider new working practices, reports Roger Bushby
TIPPER DRIVERS working for Lafarge Aggregates are claiming victory in a dispute over a new working system after they brought movements from a quarry to a halt last week.
The row flared at the company's Mouritsorrel quarry, Leicestershire, on Tuesday 16 September when Lafarge announced new working practices to "make better use of our haulage fleet". The 80 drivers working out of the quarry claimed that the new system would cost them up to £200 a week. They then threatened a 5.30am blockade, but instead refused to return to work until management agreed to meet with the drivers last Friday, meaning that no trucks left the quarry until noon.
Drivers' leader Dave Darcy says lost earnings would be caused by a 25% cut in special mileage rates, unnecessary criss-crossing o f routes, and a requirement which would have meant drivers having to use their own mobile phones to contact management several times per delivery.
But following two meetings with the drivers, Lafarge said it was prepared to look again at the proposed new system. In a statement to Commercial Motor, it says: "As with any new system, there are a few teething problems. We hope to resolve those over the next few weeks "We recognise the concerns being voiced by our hauliers, and have involved and consulted them on the introduction of this new technology. Hauliers are an integral part of our business, and it is in all our interests to work together to resolve any difficulties. In the long run we should all benefit from the improvements that this system can bring."