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 
UC ready to sack drivers 'through the back door'
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• by Charles Young One of the largest employers in the industry, United Carriers, is threatening to sack employees "through the back door" even if it has no evidence of suspected misdemeanours.
In a memo seen by Commercial Motor this week, United Carriers' Security Manager be Martin states that new security instructions at the Wellingboroughbased company are designed to "screw the drivers down".
Writing to Carpet Express operations director Alan Goodyear and United Carriers' managing director Russell Hodgson, Martin continues: "If we have a suspect driver and cannot get him through detection, then invariably he will fall foul of this little "catch-all" and we can then dispense with his services through the back door. Every driver will sign the form indicating they have understood the instructions."
Douglas Curtis at the United Road Transport Union says this is a clear breach of employment law. "If we went to tribunal and produced this memo we would win hands down," he says.
Curtis has written to Hodgson to ask how the corn
pany proposes to ensure it is acting within the law.
Curtis received a reply from UC group human resources director Ron Smith, who wrote: "This matter obviously requires a full investigation, which I shall arrange for next week."
And in a statement to CM Smith added: "Let me assure you that where it proves necessary to bring into question the conduct or performance of any employee of the United Carriers group, this will, on every occasion, be carried out by full adherence to the laid-down disciplinary procedure."