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Driver schemes
Page 49
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worry TGWU by John Darker THE apprentice training scheme for heavy goods vehicles made possible by the recently passed Road Traffic Bill may yet occasion considerable controversy.
Mr Ken Jackson, commercial services secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union, has suggested to Transport Minister Mr Fred MuBey that the union is seriously concerned at the possibility of abuse of the scheme by a minority of operators. "If an 18-year-old is prevailed upon by an unscrupulous employer of which the industry has its share, to undertake some 'dodgy' operations which are illegal, then the future career of the youngster concerned could easily be jeopardized," Mr Jackson told me at Brighton TUC last week.
"I have suggested to Me Mulley, that it would bd quite unfair for the young driver to bear the main penalty in any circumstances of this kind. The TGWU believes that the operator's licence should be at risk: in short, that in a bad• case the operator should lose his 0-licence."
I asked Mr Jackson if he contemplated a meeting with Licensing Authorities to press this viewpoint upon them, since the LAs would be concerned in any inquiry into the fitness of an operator to continue in business he replied that he had not considered this, in the belief that assurances of sympathy for the union viewpoint with the Minister — of which he (Mr Jackson) was in no doubt — would suffice.
As to the timing of future meetings of the industry committee which discussed with the Department of Environment the details of the apprentice driver scheme, Mr Jackson said that he had no intention of rushing things until he had had an opportunity of studying the precise wording of the Act. (Printed copies and relevant issues of Hansard. have been held up by the labour dispute in the Stationery Office.) He thought it likely that most of the work necessary before the introduction of a Statutory Instrument would probably take another two months. He was not sure whether he would need to have another interview with the Minister.
Tachograph position
I asked Mr Jackson for his latest views on the tachograph position and was left in no doubt that the TGWU will continue to oppose its introduction. Despite the formal ban on British 'trade union representation on Common Market institutions, many informal contacts with the Continental unions do take place — some TUC delegates referred to "yo-yo" movements to the Community to discuss policy matters.
Ken Jackson made the bold assertion that the drivers' unions in Europe are coming round to the British position — that tachographs do not necessarily serve the interests of drivers.
By a fortunate chance. I was able to put to Mr R. M. Le Goy, Director General for Transport, European Economic Community, at a Lancaster conference at the weekend, Mr Jackson's assertion that the Continental trade unions were losing their enthusiasm for tachographs. Mr Le Goy was surprised at the view expressed. "If there is any truth in it," he told me, "I've yet to hear of it. I've had no representations on those lines from any of the unions concerned."