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Money saved at drivers' expense T have worked for Boots

4th September 1997
Page 24
Page 24, 4th September 1997 — Money saved at drivers' expense T have worked for Boots
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

the 1 Chemist since September 1986 as an HGV driver, driving anything from Escort vans up to HGVls on the local fleet, which has vastly reduced in numbers due to retirement, ill health, sackings or people just leaving

No new recruitment has taken place and now we are down to about 13 drivers and the vacancies have been filled by a local contractor. In the past, most local contractors used to help each other, but it seems to be dog-eatdog nowadays and the only loser is the driver who sees his wages slowly erode.

This has been caused by companies wanting the job done for as little as possible so they can share the extra profit among the greedy executives, directors and shareholders. While the employees who move the goods around receive a pittance, they are expected to have the company's interest at heart, while the incentive to do a good job is being slowly knocked out of them.

We drivers in the Boots fleet are being offered a drop in wages while we negotiate a two-year wage increase.

We are becoming inundated with agencies which are helping the companies to cut the wage bill by offering, in many cases, incompetent drivers. We have had drivers turning up to do a trunk and they have trouble connecting the tractor unit and trailer as well as having great difficulty reversing the trailer onto loading docks.

More and more hauliers have Well Driven? (and free phone number) signs on the rear of trailers and rigids, but does anyone phone to say how courteous the driver was? You bet they don't. It's always to complain how a driver cut them up or any other petty thing they can think of. They haven't a clue about driving heavy goods vehicles. It would be a good idea to have Well Driven? signs on all company vehicles, including cars, then we would see the real morons reported to their companies.

After years of battering by the Tory Government, the unions are now totally useless apart from collecting subscriptions. I know many drivers agree with me that greedy companies are legally abusing their employees. Ian N Bird, Nottingham.

Tags

Organisations: Tory Government
People: Ian N Bird
Locations: Nottingham

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