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Failing by association
Page 28
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I VERY MUCH welcomed your hard-hitting editorial "Let's move on(CM 14 July), which touched on what to me is the biggest problem regarding the Lorry Road User Charge: the trade associations. Not only were they led up the garden path by the government, but it is abundantly clear that they were prepared to sell out their SME membership for a scheme that was never a realistic option in any event.
As you may be aware, I formed the British Aggregates Association in 1999 because the existing association had become detached from the independent operators. However, it is not terribly difficult to see why this type of thing happens. It is always the biggest companies that contribute the most cash and have their staff on the various committees. In addition, as associations mature they tend to be handed over to professional people to run These people do not have their livelihoods at stake and they will never take matters to the wire.They also have an irritating habit of claiming to have achieved a good result even when what the industry is left with is often short-lived and virtually worthless.
An excellent example of this are the conces sions that the Road Haulage Association (RHA) claims to have extracted from the government on the Working Time Directive. These apply to Periods of Availability and Off Duty Working and they are at complete odds with the policies behind the directive. They will, of course, fall whenever challenged at law, but neither the RHA nor the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has pointed this out to their members.
At the end of the day, a had trade association is worse than no association at all. I have a great deal of sympathy for the new association, British Hauliers, as I know how difficult it can be to get this type of association properly funded and off the ground.
There is not enough time left for them to do a lot,but if they are given some positive publicity and start to bleed members from the RHA and FTA then this will exert a benign pressure for them to reform.
I very much hope the Commercial Motor debate takes off and helps the industry to get its act together before it is changed beyond recognition.
Robert Durward British Aggregates Association Lanark