ICI bosses win buyout bid
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• A new management-owned company will take over most of chemicals giant ICI's distribution operation at Haverton Hill by March next year.
This follows months of talks between ICI and its transport managers who wanted a chance to buy out the "uncompetitive" fleet, used mostly to move agricultural products (CM 28 July).
Within the past few weeks, most of the 100-plus drivers and fitters have voted to back the buy-out bid. ICI says all employees will be offered a job in the new company, a transfer elsewhere in ICI or redundancy. There will be no compulsory sackings.
Earlier, the Transport and General Workers' Union had expressed worries that a move from in-house ownership to management would lead to job losses.
A majority of employees had also opposed the bosses' buyout in a ballot. They were worried that wages and conditions agreements would be affected though these fears now appear to have been quoshed.
ICI already uses outside operators for about a quarter of its Haverton Hill operation. Speculation had mounted that it might hive off the rest of the fleet to third-party hauliers but this option was rejected.
A similar buy-out attempt at ICI's Severnside depot is still being discussed. ICI has already hived off its tanker fleet at Wilton and has decided, after a review, that its Runcorn-based fleet would be better kept in-house.