TN set to take UC to tribunal
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• Transport & General Workers Union officer Maurice Britton says parcels group United Carriers could find itself at an industrial tribunal unless it reinstates five drivers sacked from its Leeds depot.
At the end of February United Carriers told the T&G that it would be laying off up to 70 drivers and other staff at depots across the country as part of a move away from threeday deliveries to next-day traffic. This has led to changes in terms and conditions and shift patterns.
Britton warns that if the five drivers at Leeds do not get their jobs back he will apply for an industrial tribunal hearing which could take place within three months.
"What really annoyed me was that there were people who, through sickness or age, were willing to go, but United Carriers would not accept volunteers," says Britton. However, United Carriers' chairman Doug Rogers claims that any changes due to new shift patterns have been "amicable".
The T&G warning coincides with speculation about a merger between United Carriers and Nightfreight. In its latest financial results, for 1997, United Carriers admits it has been approached about a merger— but United wants to improve the terms before recommending a deal to shareholders.
"Discussions are ongoing," says Rogers, who declines to name the potential partner. "There are other names in parcels besides Nightfreight."
United's profits edged up from 422.1m in 1996 to £2.2m in 1997 but the company says its UK parcels business had a "disappointing" final quarter.