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• United Transport Container Haulage can afford to wield the big stick against the small hauliers it depencts on for its business (see lead story, pages 4-5 this week).
We're experiencing tough trading conditions, so we're sure you wouldn't mind hanging about another 19 days for the payment you're due for work done up to three months before, it soothed its hundreds of subcontractors this week. It is down to a new billing system and it trusts that hauliers will "understand the significant compensating benefits".
Nineteen days ...? Nineteen days can mean life or death for a small haulage business struggling with cashflow. There is the overdraft to be serviced, the finance company to be paid — the mortgage payment on the family home to be met. Subcontractors working exclusively for one company do not exactly have a vast reserve they can dip into when the monthly creditors are baying at the door.
And United's excuse? Customers have "considerably extended their payment to ourselves", it says. Well, that's OK then. The subsidiary of industrial conglomerate BET might as well have added: "So sue us suckers".
How many of UTCH's managers and directors face losing their homes and livelihoods as a result of their customers' "considerably extended" payment arrangements? Many of UTCH's hauliers cer tainly do. So much for loyalty?