Hours cut is promised
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• Leading British trade unions have pledged to reduce lorry drivers' basic working week to 35 hours within the next four years.
At the International Transport Workers' Federation conference this week Italian unions urged member organisations to push for a real reduction in drivers' working hours.
The Transport & General Workers' Union and the United Road Transport Union agree such a move is necessary and say a reduction in drivers' duty time will play an important part in the next round of pay negotiations.
John Moore of the TGWU says: "In all negotiations in the next wage round, we will be making very positive steps towards reducing the basic week without loss of pay to 35 hours a week by 1994.
"We will not accept employers previous rejections of this item."
Frank Griffin of URTU says the move towards a decrease in the working week might be slow at first. "The problem will be to convince employers. But we are keen to do it and it will be a key area in future negotiations. Lorry drivers are already becoming aware of the problem as other industries, such as manufacturing, have already seen a drop in the basic working week."
In Britain, most lorry drivers currently work a basic 40-hour week plus overtime. Unions did try to reduce the basic working week in the last pay round, but employers rejected the idea — depsite its growing popularity in other sectors of the British industry.
If unions are successful in trimming weekly duty time, this will effectively mean a rise in drivers' basic wages around Europe.
The Road Haulage Association has responded by saying the demand for shorter hours will require "a lot of discussion and analysis" with member companies. A spokesman says that although drivers currently work a basic 40-hour week, they are guaranteed five extra hours pay at time-and-a-half, whether they work them or not.
The RHA spokesman asks: "Are the unions saying they want 12 hours guaranteed overtime, instead of five, or do they really want drivers to go home after 35 hours? Employers will not open their purses to unlimited overtime." The RHA believes the unions are taking a lead from the proposd European Social Charter, which it says it takes "very seriously".