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Striking a fair deal

13th december 2012
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Page 30, 13th december 2012 — Striking a fair deal
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Union activity seems to have been on the increase in the road transport sector in recent months. So is the industry now facing a winter of discontent with a flurry of further industrial unrest?

From the tanker drivers' dispute early this year to the latest dust-up between workers and management at Stobart's Doncaster DC, industrial unrest seems to have been on the rise this year.

True, not all the unrest has led to the ultimate sanction of a strike. But between the walk-out by dock workers at the Port of Tilbury in May, the threat of industrial action by Severn River Crossing staff in August, unions considering a ballot for gritter drivers at Hampshire County Council in September and the stoppages held by warehouse staff at DIAL Supply Chain's Cumbernauld site in October, it has, by any measure, been a busy year for the sector and its unions.

And those unions are quite clear about the reasons why. "People are saying 'enough is enough'," says Bob Monks, general secretary of the United Road Transport Union (URTU)."From a wages perspective, the industry is so low now that people are prepared to do something about it."

Much of this, of course, results from firms trying to reduce their costs in a difficult economic and business climate, but Monks warns: "You're only going to squeeze the pips so far before something happens."

That's a point also taken up by Adrian Jones, national officer for road transport commercial, logistics and retail distribution at fellow union Unite. "The recession seems to be the excuse for employers to try to protect profits by attacking terms and conditions," he says.

"Our members have been under pressure for a few years, and have now reached a point where they are asking: how much more are we expected to give?"

Seeking support Both unions report growing driver membership this year; and both attribute this, at least in part, to employees recognising that they need help and support in their dealings with management. "I think there's probably an element of people thinking 'I've got to join a union'," says Monks. "Drivers are looking for support," agrees Jones. "More and more are joining Unite to get protection and get organised for the future."

This isn't to suggest, however, that staff are more minded to strike now than in the past. As Monks points out: "There is an inherent conservatism that British people have in relation to taking industrial action. It really is the last resort. I don't think people really want to do that in the sector we're in."

That's probably down in part to the current economic climate and the fact that jobs aren't as easy to come by as in the past. But it's also about the transport sector being so attuned to delivering the goods, whatever the hurdles, agrees Monks. "It's about getting the job done. At the end of the day, if the customer isn't getting what they want, they're going to go elsewhere," he says.

In turn, this may be one reason why unions' interactions with employers this year appear to have led to more negotiated settlements than strikes. "The minute a vehicle doesn't turn a wheel, it's costing the employer money," points out Monks. "And even if you go on strike, the only way you're going to resolve that strike is by sitting down and talking."

Employers, for their part, don't seem to believe the unions have been flexing their muscles more than usual this year. "I don't detect a significant upswing in union activity. I think if you look at the historical context, the 1970s and 1980s, for example, the current level of activity is miniscule," says Theo de Pencier, chief executive of the Freight Transport Association.

"The biggest potential dispute we've seen was the fuel tanker drivers, but there was no strike. It was a relatively small group of absolutely key workers and even then there was a mixed response, with some companies voting to go on strike and others not to. The majority were in favour of action short of a strike — and that's in an industry going through a lot of change."

It's a similar story over at the Road Haulage Association, where director of policy Jack Semple says members are not voicing any particular concerns on this score. "We are aware of recent press reports relating to specific large RDCs, but we have had no particular representations from members in relation to unions," he confirms.

More to come?

Where strikes have taken place, they have often involved large logistics operators acting for the big retailers and have also been contract-specific, says de Pencier — Stobart's Doncaster dispute, for example, relates specifically to its recently won contract with Tesco. Such disputes are fairly common in the road transport sector, he adds. "Those sorts of disputes, on the back of changing ways of operating contracts, are frequent — always have been, and arguably always will be," he suggests.

That doesn't mean, however, that the road transport sector is staring a 'winter of discontent' in the face. "I think the vast bulk of the transport sector has got lots of other things to worry about," says de Pencier.

"Nobody wants to go on strike," agrees Monks. "Sometimes it's necessary, perhaps quite often, to reach that stage where you start balloting people, but at the end of the day, you want to reach a negotiated settlement." A Truck crossing a picket "I don't believe there will be a season of discontent as Line in the early 70s our members are ultimately not looking for anything that is unreasonable," adds Jones.

All well and good, perhaps — but with the economic outlook still so depressed, employers still so focused on cost reduction, and many annual pay reviews due to be announced in the coming weeks, the next run-in between management and the unions probably isn't too far away.

And as Jones points out: "If our members feel they are not getting a fair deal from their employer, we will fully support their decision to take action. We will not sit back and watch employers race each other to see who can get to the bottom of the pile first. This race to the bottom must stop." •


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