2,000 drivers strike on 'perks' tax
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STRIKING lorry drivers paralysed the ports of Avonmouth and Tilbury on Monday when they called a lightning stoppage over the introduction of new subsistence claim certificates due next week.
The drivers fear that they will have to pay income tax on the £4.50 a night allowance and this week transport workers leader Mr Jack Jones has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer about the subsistence situation.
About 2,000 drivers joined the strike and some picketed Tilbury dock while others joined a protest march to the London headquarters of the Transport and General Workers' Union where they met national organiser, Mr Ken Jackson.
But by Tuesday Road Haulage Association industrial relations officer Mr Chris Dixon said that most of the drivers had gone back.
He said that many of the drivers had been acting on instructions from a breakaway group of transport union shop stewards, the London and South East Shop Stewards Action Committee.
But he told CM that drivers in the Avonmouth area were meeting on Tuesday to decide whether or not to go back to work.
As RHA secretaries over the country phoned in reports to Mr Dixon, Hull secretary Mrs Margaret Edmunds confirmed that almost 300 drivers had joined the stoppage. "There was a mixture of TGWU and United Road Transport Union drivers out," she said.
"But now they seem to be almost back to normal; most of the drivers seem to have come from one or two firms," said Mrs Edmunds.
In the South of England Mr Albert Simpson said that drivers had voted to stay at work both on Monday and on the next proposed date in early June. " I don't know if they will be taking other action but they decided not to join the strike," he said.
Drivers in the West Midlands stayed at work too and other reports around the country were that all was quiet.
But at Tilbury where dockers were working normally drivers refused to cross the picket lines set up by the strikers and goods could neither enter nor leave the port.
At Dagenham drivers on container work joined in the dispute and walked out in protest at the new tax arrangements.
RHA secretary Mr Eric Russell told CM this week that there was no foundation to the fears that drivers would be paying tax on their subsistence.
"The Inland Revenue has decided that there will be an allowance of £4.50 a night if drivers use the tax exemption form that we have agreed with them but beyond that expenses must be substantiated," said Mr Russell.
And URTU general secretary Mr Jackson Moore made his position clear: "We have said that striking is futile. It is simply a question of our members not signing the forms and they will refuse to pay any tax on the allowances.
" We believe that this is maintaining the status quo. Tax on subsistence has always been up to employers and we wish it to remain so.
" I am amazed that no one has been in touch for talks on the matter. I had assumed that the employers would have asked for talks," said Mr Moore.