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Drivers fight contract
Page 18
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by Derren Hayes
• British Bakeries, owner of Mothers Pride and Hovis, is to be taken to an industrial tribunal by 20 drivers after it radically changed driver contracts and cut 40 jobs from its Greenford depot last month.
The tribunal applications-14 for breach of contract and six for constructive dismissal—have been made by 20 drivers who remained with the firm but felt that new terms offered by the company were so poor they could no longer carry on working.
The 40 drivers were made redundant when British Bakeries restructured its distribution operation in March.
Staff and unions were hoping all employees would receive redundancy rather than be offered changed contracts.
The which redcuuctes, d the number of drivers from 84 to 44, were made after wage negotiations between British Bakeries and the United Road Transport Union broke down. Weeks after the redundancies British Bakeries, which runs 62 vehicles from the Greenford depot in Middlesex, hired 20 agency drivers to pick up extra work.
URTU regional officer Malcolm Williams says drivers are now doing more work for less money: "They have fundamentally changed the wage and contract structure," he claims.
"Over 50% of the drivers' wage used to he commissioned-based, but now they are offering guaranteed longer hours for a basic pay of just over £300 per week—many used to make that in commission alone."
The new contract ties drivers to a six-day working week and compulsory bank holiday working.
British Bakeries were unavailable for comment.