Pay sanctions hit haulier
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NCTIONS IMPOSED by British Government on )se companies that have gotiated pay claims exding the 10 per cent pay 'defines have now struck ne at the haulage industry. '. Baker & Sons (Transport) I of Tipton, Staffs, a mber of the Road Haulage ;ociation, has had a contract lad operated with the Miny of Defence for 32 years 'celled by the Government. he company negotiated a per cent pay increase with drivers, in line with around 10 other hauliers in the West ilands.
rhe contract to provide a ly service carrying motor ires from Brierley Hill to the yal Ordnance Depot at ilwell, near Nottingham, ; now gone to a company a a member of the RHA) ieved to be charging higher es.
'red Baker, managing ector, said "We were one of ?. first to sign the West dlands agreement.
'But I don't really want to nment at this time — we are a very delicate stage of the game."
Mr Baker said he was due to go to the House of Commons to hear the debate on Tuesday on the whole affair of the blacklist.
A spokesman for hauliers in the West Midlands said he thought imposing sanctions on the hauliers was "quite incredible."
He added: "This kind of action by the Government amounts to nothing less than blackmail. I don't think the Government has the right to do this sort of thing."
Commenting on the loss of the Government contract, Tory Opposition spokesman for Transport, Norman Fowler told CM: "There is just no rhyme or reason to this blacklist affair.
"No one knows on what basis the blacklist is being drawn up, or why one or two firms should be picked out."
As CM went to press it was estimated there were around 24 companies on the blacklist, five of which were haulage operators.
These were: • W. Allport & Sons, Sutton Coldfield • T. Baker & Sons, Tipton, Staffs O Brain Haulage (Midlands Depot) O Peter Shirley Smith, Knowle, Solihull O Film Transport Services Ltd, West London.