1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142 
unions urged
Page 5
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A PLEA from Road Haulage Association vice-chairman John Silbermann for an agreement with the unions on the use of tachographs is thought to have gone unheeded after a meeting between the unions and employers this week. Mr Silbermann made his plea during a speech to the Newport (Gwent) area of the RHA at its annual dinner when he said that an agreement was now urgent because of the introduction of the 450km (281 mile) distance limit which comes into effect on January 1.
"I appeal to the responsible leaders of the trade unions whose members are engaged in road haulage to urgently re-think the situation and to concede quickly that it is in their interests as well as ours to keep lorries working effectively to the maximum allowed within the law. "This means fitting tachographs for which I plead trade union agreement," said Mr Silbermann. "It all comes down yet again to increased costs for the haulier. Distance limitations — or tachographs — mean lesser productivity or greater cost," he said.
News from the tacho summit meeting was bleak. All participants have agreed that. nothing will be made public from the meeting but it is understood that the unions have given little or no ground. on bringing in the instrument: One source described the situation as "no change".
Last week Mr Silbermann commented: "There is now a real case for asking the unions to re-appraise their total objection to tachographs.
"If in future hauliers want to carry goods in the larger articulated vehicles, from the beginning of next year on journeys exceeding 281 miles a day, they will have to have a tachograph," said Mr Silbermann.
He added that the altern. ative was to have restrictec distances or to employ a se cond driver.
"It is this point on which would welcome trade uniot co-operation, on the fitting o tachographs in agreement lo cally between labour ant management," he said.
Last week the idea of tacho as an alternative to the dis tance rules was slammed b both Transport and Genera Workers Union and the Unite Road Transport Union.
URTU general secretar Jackson Moore made it clef that the new law would mea no change for his members long as pay is maintained at i present levels.
And TGWU national orga iser Jack Ashwell repeat( that EEC rules would make difference to the union's tot opposition to the introductic of the tachograph at any pric