Contract Hauliers Carry On Dispute with Customer
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AFTER a week of near-deadlock, owner/driver hauliers, working under contract A licence carrying pre-stressed concrete work from the Ranskill (Notts) factory of the Kingsbury Concrete, Ltd., were on Tuesday still no nearer a
solution to their dispute with the company over rates.
The hauliers—most of them members of the Transport and General Workers Union—contend that the rates are not economical and bear no relation to current average payments. Some are already—they claim—in serious financial difficulties as a result of operating at prices about 8d. per ton below R.H.A.recommended rates.
The Commercial Motor understands that the Road Haulage Association originally wrote to the company and asked for negotiations to be commenced, with a view to higher rates being paid, but the company declined to meet the Association. They claimed that, as individual contracts were signed and the agreements were in some cases different, they could hot negotiate collectively with the R.H.A. They were, however, prepared to negotiate with the individuals direct.
T.G.W.U. Called In The T.G.W.Urwas called in last week by the men, but the company declined to meet them and, instead, issued an ultimatum to the contractors that they must present themselves for work last Friday or stand in breach of their contracts. (A spokesman for the company has since stated that they would make a final suggestion for a return to work of the vehicles and, in the meantime, were ascertaining the precise legal position with regard to the contracts entered into.)
Commenting on the situation last week, Mr. H. Nolan, the Sheffield commercial officer of the T.G.W.U., said: "It appears that the only way to deal with the matter is to impose sanctions, and that is being done," but further efforts would be made to negotiate with the firm.
It is understood that some 28 vehicles, in all, have ceased to work for the company and their drivers are picketing all vehicles entering and leaving the works. A spokesman for the hauliers said that they had been checking vehicles entering and leaving the premises. He continued: "We understand that they are employing some hauliers on their own terms—much in excess of what we were being paid." As .a result of their checks, certain matters would be reported to the Yorkshire and East Midland Licensing Authorities.
Asked what effect the embargo was having upon the firm, a spokesman told our reporter: " We are getting through all right." He said that there had been no direct approach from the operators themselves. They were not prepared to negotiate collectively. Two hauliers, not concerned in the dispute, had approached the company about increased payments recently. The company had agreed a new rate with one of them, but nothing was done about the other.