FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT ISSUES
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William Shakespeare had a way with words when it came to describing a man's capacity to fight. Take this example from Henry V. "In peace there's nothing so becomes a man as modest stillness and humility: But when the blast of war blows in our ears, then imitate the action of the tiger; stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage."
So are Britain's lorry drivers about to go "once more unto the breach", or is all this talk of a national strike nothing more than sabre rattling from the unions? As far back as last May, TGWU president Bill Morris was reporting on a mood of barely repressed anger among drivers when it came to wages and conditions.
Now URTU is in on the act after the Government admitted it is considering ditching employment rights for those employed by small firms. Hardly good news for all the thousands of drivers currently employed by small hauliers running throughout the UK. But a national driver's strike? How many times have we heard that before? Listen to any group of discontented drivers and sooner or later you'll hear one say: "The French drivers got what they wanted. ..why shouldn't we?" The difference is the French drivers were dealing with the French Government. They also had solidarity, a rare commodity among British operators at the best of times.
Here hauliers are more likely to stab each other in the back over rates than to join arms and storm the barricades. And somehow, we can't quite see the British police sitting still while a bunch of drivers have a sitdown protest on the Ml.
Anational drivers' strike over something that hasn't happened yet would be a complete and utter waste of time. Britain's HGV licence holders need to wake up to the much more serious—and imminent—threat posed by the DOT's stubborn interpretation of the EU directive on eyesight, which could force thousands of experienced drivers out of work.
Now that is worth fighting for, especially as the decision to abolish "grandfather rights" has not been dictated by Brussels. If the nation's 1.5 million liGV licence holders were actually prepared to all stand together against the DOT's ridiculous eyesight rules they'd be as formidable an army as the one which caused the Duke of Wellington to comment: "I don't what know what effect these men will have upon the enemy but, by God, they frighten me!"