NODA warns drivers off Tarmac Quarry
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• The National Owner Drivers Association has warned ownerdrivers to steer clear of taking on work with construction company Tarmac.
General Secretary Mick Binns says the owner-driver exclusive contract scheme operated by Tarmac division Quarry Products is weighted heavily to wards the company and is "lousy" for drivers.
He recommends that ownerdrivers looking for openings should avoid Tarmac's scheme — and those run by other companies on the same lines. Tarmac Quarry declines to comment.
Binns' association represents about 800 owner-drivers in the construction sector.
It says the exclusive contract means drivers are unable to negotiate their rate of pay, although they are tied to the company through finance arranged to buy vehicles.
NODA makes its warning as the recession in the construction industry worsens. Binns says: "There's got to be a shift in attitude that these drivers are people with families to support and not just a cheap way of getting work done."