Night work under threat
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II The Working Time Directive came under fire at the Road Haulage Association's International Group conference in Belgium last week, with hauliers slamming the likely average of eight hours' work at night.
UK operators were concerned that the proposals will lead to a reduction in productivity at exactly the time when the roads are most suitable for freight.
Paul Frampton, chairman of Shepton Mallet-based Frampions International, says: "The European Union's thinking on night working seems extraordinary. We ought to be doing as much night work as possible."
But Dirk van Vreckem, head of the Freight, Road, Rail and Inward Waterways unit of the European Commission, says: "This is about how we live, it is about the natural rhythm of life —working at night disrupts this." If the legislation goes ahead, night drivers will also have special health checks.
Hauliers say drivers would suffer from lower wages due to the reduction in hours.