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Unite union warns of potential tanker strike
CM COVER STORY
joanna.bourkerdrhi
IN AN UNUSUAL move, trade union Unite has written to fuel providers, retailers and ownaccount operators to warn them of a potential strike threat by some of Britain's 3,000 fuel tanker drivers in response to a "squeezing of their conditionsin the sector.
However, the letter has not been sent to any of the third-party contractors that supply transport services to the sector. Recipients of Unite's letter include Asda. BP. 013 Oils, Greenergy, Shell (UK) and Texaco. among others.
Unite says it has written the letter to warn the fuel companies -that unstable employment, redundancies arising from constant reorganisation of operations and attacks on earnings, are forcing the workforce towards conflict".
In the letter. Len McCloskey. Unite's assistant general secretary. writes: "We know at this moment in time there are many challenges facing the UK economy. Not withstanding this, it is our firm belief that the key stakeholders within this particular sector must take considerable note of the serious deterioration in employee morale."
1mite claims that the greater use of alternative transport contractors that are willing to undercut other employers is the driving force behind deteriorating terms and wages.
Peter Lamer. MD of Suckling, which transports fuel for Shell among others, tells CM he had no prior knowledge of Unite's intent. "We meet with Unite regularly and were surprised that we were not notified about the letter. It is companies such as ourselves who determine drivers* wages and conditions: not normally the fuel providers."
Last year BP tanker drivers threatened to strike after the oil giant decided to subcontract its fuel distribution. which Unite feared would disrupt staff terms and conditions (CM 24 September 2009). However to date, no third party has been awarded the contract.
A spokesman for the UK Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA) tells CM: "Apart from BP, I believe all the other UKP1A member companies engaged in retail fuel marketing have oulsourced fuel deliveries to specialist transport contractors. The changing pattern of fuel distribution reflects what has been happen ing in the downstream uJ sector over the past decade or more.
"UK fuel retailing is very competitive, but overall fuel volumes have grown very little. This has driven a move to fewer sites selling a higher volume of fuel. At the end of 2009, there were 94)00 tilling stations compared with 19,000 in 1990."
Ron Webb, Unite's national officer for logistics, concludes: "We have consistently warned the oil employers that their strategy of attacking wages and squeezing more and more out of their drivers, but giving them less and less in return, will backfire.
"Quite simply. enough is enough."
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