Hauliers Pay £80m. in Wages: 3 Increase Will Cost £1.3m.
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HAULIERS are now paying about £80m. a year in wages. The increase of 3s. a week recommended by the Road Haulage Wages Council is likely to cost another £1,326,000 -a year.
These calculations are based. on .censuses taken-by the Road Haulage Association and the Ministry of Labour. The Association announced last 'Friday that their analysis Of the earnings of workers covered by Road Haulage Wages Orders had been completed.
The R.H.A. analysis covered two four-weekly periods in November, 1953,. and March, 1954. Information was obtained from questionnaires sent to all members. To the first, 2,436 replies were receiVed from members employing 21,863 workers, The second brought 2,175 replies covering 20,052 employees.
The average weekly wage of drivers for the first period was £8 19s. for an average Veek of 54.2 hours. For all employees (drivers, statutory attendants and other. .road haulage workers), the average wage was £8 14s. 7d. for 53.5 hours.
During the second period, 'drivers earned on an average £9 8s. 7d. for a week of 54.3 hours, and the average wage for all workers was £9 3s. 10d. for 54 hours.
Between the two inquiries, R.H.(48) was made, providing for an increase of 4s. in the basic weekly wage for 44 hours of all workers aged 21 or over.
Ministry Census These figures tally closely with the results of a census taken by the Ministry of Labour in the last pay week in October, 1953. It showed that the average earnings of 20,016 workers engaged in the transport of goods by road (excluding British Road Services) were £.8 12s. 2d. for a 52i-hour week. Hourly earnings equalled 39.4d. Men of 21 years and over averaged a 16s. 9d. Office staff and salaried employees generally were not included in the census.
A survey made in the week ended March 21, 1953, by B.R.S. showed that the average earnings of all categories of staff, excluding officers, etc., were £9 19s. 6d. for male adults. Clerical workers' salaries helped to raise the figure above that recorded for nonnationalized haulage workers.
At the end of January last there were 169,900 people employed in the transport of goods by road. On that basis, and taking £9 as their average weekly earnings, their wages total about £80m. a year.
STRIKE OVER STUDENTS MORE than 800 drivers and conIVI ductors of Westeliff-on-Sea Motor Services, Ltd., struck work last..Saturday in protest against the employment of three students as conductors. They argue that the employment of the students affects their overtime.
A threat to repeat the strike on the next seven Saturdays has been made.