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le article by Janus (CM, ibruary 16) touches on one of e most fundamental issues ised by the recent strike,
namely the way in which wages are negotiated_ One senses a strong suggestion that the old Road Haulage Wages Council should be re-established. Surely this would be a most retrograde step_ The one thing that the strike has proved is the major disruption that can be caused by a small number of workers in this key industry. Failure to agree at a national level can quickly lead to concerted industrial action throughout the country. As has been found with other powerful groups, eg in the dock industry, the only way to deal with the problem is for true local negotiations to take place.
I believe that local negotiations really mean settlements between individual employers and their drivers. Negotiations through local Road Haulage Associations must inevitably have some element of coordination — is it really sensible to suggest that one local group will place other areas in an invidious situation?
Furthermore, the effect of raising the base rote can vary from one firm to another because of different guarantees and methods of payment. Thus the total wage packet needs to be assessed and discussed when claims are made by drivers for increased payments. Such discussions also allow sensible productivity negotiations to take place and help to minimise the effects of substantial wage claims.
The statement reported in the same issue that the effect of EEC hours was not a major factor in the strike is debatable, However, this would have been an ideal opportunity to discuss the effects of the EEC legislation and produce a payment package which would have hopefully avoided any further problems as the full effects of the drivers' hours legislation is felt.
I can imagine that many companies, particularly small ones, will be horrified at the suggestion that they should negotiate individually, feeling unable to stand up to the power of the unions. However, there are many small companies within the hire and reward sector who successfully negotiate directly with their employees because it enables them to get the best overall deal possible.
Owner account operators settle individually, as eventually did the individual oil companies in the tanker drivers' dispute. Firms in the hire and reward area will ultimately only survive if they are competitive and this involves all aspects of their operations, not just the wages they pay.
I believe that more firms should be talking direct to their drivers, not just about their wage packets but also about the total situation of the company. Hopefully this will produce a climate in which wage demands are discussed against this background and the chances of a repetition of the national action just witnessed minimised. The failure of one firm to agree with its drivers is very unlikely to produce a national strike but rather a local situation where its effects, whilst serious to the individual firm, would not have nationwide repercussions.
M. J. A. MUTTER, Middlesbrough, Cleveland