Prestons ponders pay
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by Juliet Parish • General haulier Prestons of Potto is considering performance-related pay for more than 100 of its drivers based in the North-East.
The North Yorkshire-based firm is proposing to reward dri
vers for improving fuel economy and avoiding accidents, according to the Transport & General Workers Union.
But the TGWU is demanding an automatic increase in basic pay to £162.65 for a 40-hour week; the re-introduction of dou
ble-time payments for Sunday working; and an increase in the overnight subsistence allowance to £16.75. District officer Allan Gray says he will ballot his members for industrial action if these demands are not met in full.
Gray represents 78 drivers at Potto, near Northallerton, and 39 at Prestons' Cleveland-based subsidiary Freeman Volkers & Stuart (FVS) at Stockton-on-Tees, which is also included in the pay talks.
"It is not an inflated claim set against the background of our members facing zero awards for some considerable time," says Gray. The union claim would only bring the drivers pay into line with this year's minimum terms and conditions for members of the TGWU in the Teesside area, he says.
Prestons says that it has "harmonious" industrial relations with the union and is considering all options, including performance-related pay.
Gray is seeking an urgent meeting with Prestons to settle the claim.
The 35 drivers at Prestons' depot in St Neots, Cambs are not covered by these talks.