Excessive hours cost £11,1194
Page 17
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FINES and costs totalling £1,194 were imposed on Kwik Save Discount Group Ltd, Prestatyn, and 14 of its drivers, before Makerfield (Wigan) magistrates last week.
Pleas of guilty were entered to 236 summonses, concerning excessive hours of duty worked by the drivers and arising out of operations from the Group's depot at Bryn, near Wigan.
Prosecuting for the North Western LA, Mr J. S. Lawton said that following information received a traffic examiner visited the depot and inspected the records which appeared, on their face, to be in order. When compared with the clock cards, on which the men were paid, there were, however, discrepancies. In addition to working excessive weekly and daily hours, on a number of occasions records had been falsified. There was no suggestion that the men had driven longer than their permitted hours.
Defending, Mr E. Taylor said in mitigation that the work involved short trips with heavy loading and unloading duties. This was not popular with drivers who earned less than on long-distance work and, consequently available man power was often of p quality.
As Kwik Save had mana to get a good team toget and it was impossible to crease their wages with those of other employees practice had grown up allowing drivers who I finished work "to hang abot before clocking off to mere their hours. Although, in 1. offences had been committ in reality the drivers' reco were correct and the clt cards wrong. The practice 1 now been stopped.
Criticising the number summonses brought by the 1 Mr Taylor said that a decis to impose a penalty of so mt per offence would be out of proportion to the gravity what took place.
Replying, Mr Lawton pain out that the summonses w only samples of continui offences and a balance had he effected relative to the ti position. The LA asked for M. costs because of the immer amount of work involved preparing the case.
The magistrates imposed total fine on both company a drivers of £4 for each offen. a total of £944 plus £250 cos