Looser hours rules
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for scii-ne z MILK DISTRIBUTION COSTS
• This week the Minister of Transport issued draft proposals for the exemption of certain drivers from the full force of the new limits on driving hours which take effect next March (CM August 1). The exemptions are to apply in specified circumstances and, if implemented as drafted, the milk distribution industry will be faced with a vastly increased wage bill or the problem of massive re-organization.
It is proposed that drivers engaged on the collection of milk from farms or on doorto-door delivery should not be bound to the six-day 60-hour week to be introduced on March 1 next. Instead it is suggested that they should be given a 24 hours' rest day for every seven-day week that they work. The Ministry proposes that the rest days should be taken within 28 days of the week involved.
In practice this means that these drivers will be able to work for 24 days and thereafter take five days' rest—four for the days due, plus one for the week about to commence. What it means in manpower is that milk distributors will require to enlarge their staff, in some eases by about 25 per cent. One distributor who employs 1,500 drivers and is still 300 short of his establishment will be faced with an extra wage bill of not less than £180,000 per annum. This is an industry where rest-day working has been a common practice. "We are never up to establishment," said one operator this week, "and we have come to depend on rest-day working to meet the demands of the public."
The alternative to engaging additional staff to cover the rest day is to discontinue Sunday deliveries and make double deliveries on Saturdays. This would create storage problems at both the dispatch and customers' premises—and could bring new pressures for general acceptance of "long-life" milk. It is also proposed to give some exemption to drivers engaged on Christmas mail deliveries and newspaper distribution, and to professional people using dual-purpose vehicles or light vans.
Local authorities and public utilities are likely to benefit under the emergency exemption proposals. They will be permitted to work a driver beyond the legal limits in certain circumstances.
These circumstances are events which could cause danger to life or health. They include repairs to sewers, water, gas or electricity supplies, ice and snow clearing or the demolition of unsafe buildings.
A driver who has been exempted, however, will not be permitted to work on any other duties after the emergency has been dealt with until he has taken a statutory rest period of 11 hours.
Similarly, a driver who is called upon for emergency duty during the last 24 hours of a working week will not be bound by the six-day 60-hour maximum. The draft regulations, however, make it clear that when the emergency has been dealt with the driver must not be engaged on other duties which would cause him to exceed either the daily or weekly maximum.
The exemptions granted to drivers employed by the Postmaster are confined to the month of December and then only for the purpose of delivering Christmas mail. Drivers will not be bound to either the daily or weekly maximum. They will still require to take one half-hour rest every 51 hours, and 11 hours' rest between two successive working days. If they are called upon to work seven days, then, like the milk delivery roundsmen, they will require to take 24 hours' rest in the 28-day period in which the sevenday week commenced.
Agricultural drivers are afforded the same exemptions as postal drivers during the harvesting of crops. Drivers engaged in the carriage of livestock, and this includes horses, are to be permitted to work up to a maximum of 14 hours in a day.
Those engaged on the delivery of newspapers, magazines or periodicals who are required to work between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. and for the period 2 p.m. till 6 p.m. will not be bound by the new 12f-hour spreadover. This applies provided the driver is off duty for a total period of 14 hours in the 24 hours calculated from the time when he commenced work. It is a requirement that 10 of the 14 hours shall be consecutive.
Drivers of light vans and dual-purpose vehicles will be exempted from the standard hours when they are engaged in certain professional activities. The drivers covered are doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, veterinary surgeons, commercial travellers,. employees of the Automobile Association, Royal Automobile Club, the Royal Scottish Automobile Club and persons using their vehicles to assist in carrying out any service of inspection, cleaning, maintenance, repair. installation or fitting.
The building and construction industry will enjoy exemption for vehicles which are being used off the road. This time will not count towards the daily driving limit.
As pointed out in CM on August 1 the new driving hours apply also to drivers of passenger vehicles as from March 1 1970. The MoT states that the extent and nature of the exemptions which may be called for in this connection are at present under discussion with the bus industry.
The proposed modifications of the standard limits are as follows (standard limits in b rackets):—
Post Office: To deal with Christmas mails: Daily duty 14 hours (11) Weekly duty 66 hours (60) Day off 4 days in 4 weeks (1 day per week) Agricultural and horticultural: Limited to collection of produce from farms at harvest times: Daily duty 14 hours (11) Weekly duty 66 hours (601 Day off 4 days in 4 weeks Ii day per week) Carriage of livestock and horses: to avoid overnight stabling: Working day 14 hours (121) (spread over) Milk collection and delivery: to help maintain 7-day deliveries: Day off 4 days in 4 weeks 11 day per week) Newspaper distribution: to deal with morning and evening deliveries: Working day 14 hours (12-1-) (spreadover) Rest 10 hours (11)