RHA guns again for Motels to be dosed
Page 5
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THE ROAD Haulage Association has renewed its demands for the closure of the two Motec training centres, which arc run by the Road Transport Industry Training Board.
It says that the 000,000 annual bill for the two MultiOccupational Training and Educational Centres at High Ercall in Shropshire, and Livingston near Edinburgh is too costly.
The RHA said that if the centres were closed, the haulage industry which helps finance them through the levies it pays to the RTITB could save almost five per cent on the £22m . paid in levies to the RTITB each year.
This could mean either a reduction in the amount of levy hauliers pay to the RTITB, or the levy payments being used more beneficially. RHA industrial relations and training manager John Cox told CM.
At present every haulier whose wage bill exceeds £24,500 pays a 0.8 of one per cent levy on the cost of their wages bill to the RTITB.
Mr Cox said that the Motees are very expensive to keep going and "of no service or value to the road haulage industry".
There are colleges and group training associations all over the country which perform the same training. And around 90 per cent of the training at Livingston is under the Youth Training Scheme and of little use to haulage, he argued.
I le said that it was significant that, apart from a recent weekend computer course for young managers at High Er-. call, he had not come across anyone who had sent people to the centre for training over the past year.
Mr Cox said that the RHA was very firm that there must be a general reduction in the levy paid to the RTITB anyway, and admitted that the call for the closure of the Motees was tied up with the whole levy paying issue.
An RTITB spokesman said the future of the Motecs will be looked into again in June or July.
However to get any change in policy the three members of the RTITB who have road haulage interests must convince the other 15 members from the retail garage, vehicle building and repairing trades unions and educationalist representatives that their case is correct.
The RTITB spokesman said that if the Motecs were closed it would be a "tremendous loss" to training standards in the road transport industry.
The Motor Agents' Association, which also is represented on the RT1TB, has said that it believes that there should be just one Motec centre at High Ercall, and that in the long term it should be self supporting.