Luck of the Irish
Page 6
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IRISH haulage drivers steno to gain from a forthcoming new national understanding on wages, and look certain tg break the £1r80 (£72) barrie for a 40-hour week.
Outside the public and owr account sectors, only the Dublii Carriers' Association has a re€ istered wage agreement wit trades unions, and at present it members pay basic rate ranging from E1r73.5 (E66.20) for artic drivers dow to Elr65 (E56.50) for driven mates. Bonus payments of tm tween 01'5 and Elr7.5. (E4.50 to £6.75) tend to go o top.
A national understandin between the Irish Governmen Confederation of Irish lndustr and the Congress of Tradt Unions is due to be reach€ soon, and looks like being se. led at around ten per cent.
Irish hauliers, like the British counterparts, are beir hard hit by the recession whit has produced unemployme figures over 100,000, ar some trades unionists who, s months ago, were pressing f 20 to 25 per cent wage claim have moderated these to 12 15 per cent.
Employers want a pay start still to be enforced for the rest the year, and then are in favo of Taoiseach (Prime MinistE Charles Haughey's call for i eight per cent limit.
The haulage business al has the tachograph and reduct drivers' hours hanging over like a double-edged sword Damocles.
Operators in the Dubl agreement expect that they vs, have to compensate their driv€ for the reduction in hours.
Outside Dublin, there is formal wage negotiant pattern, largely because of t very small and family nature the rural haulage industry. Or some drivers are unionised, a: leading hauliers concede th there is a case for British-st, joint industrial councils.