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Drivers refuse to revert to 15-year-old deal on shifts
Page 10
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There's more unrest at Morrisons as wranOes with the trade unions over drivers' shift patterns rumble on. Chns Tindall reports.
A MEETING BETWEEN Christian Salvesen and the GMB union that was designed to resolve fears that drivers will be forced to work weekends at a Scottish depot came to nothing last week.
And the company's hopes that an agreement could be reached quickly seem to be dashed with drivers at the Bellshill site saying they will not work under new terms and conditions.
The Morrisons-owned regional distribution centre (RD C) attempted to resurrect a 15-yearold agreement stating drivers must work any five days in seven. But the Christian Salvesen drivers have always worked Monday to Friday and they believe the logistics company cannot suddenly force through new shift patterns.
GMB spokesman Stephen Baillie says managers on both sides will now have to sit down and thrash out an agreement.
"It's an issue of custom and practice," he says. "Fifteen years is a reasonable amount of time to regard the initial agreement as being overtaken by events — any lawyer will tell you that."
The supermarket maintains it is not involved in the dispute, despite the GMB's insistence that Christian Salvesen cannot make an offer without "checking, double checking and then re-checking with Morrisons,"( CM 9 June).
Baillie adds:"It shouldn't come as a surprise; there have been five profit warnings since they took over Safeway. Morrisons has bitten off more than it can chew.
"There are problems right through the network," he warns Bellshill driver Alex Saville says: "Morale at Bristol, War rington and Aylesford, to name only three, is at rock bottom, and they get Salvesen to wield the big stick at Bellshill."
A Salvesen spokesperson adds: "Christian Salvesen management and union representatives continue to meet to discuss relevant issues" • The T&G and GMB unions are set to meet this week to discuss co-ordinated action against the supermarket, according to The Observer newspaper. It says that warehouse staff are angry over a low pay offer.
christopher.tindall@rbi.co.uk