Despite panic-buying fuel, public is sympathetic towards tanker drivers...
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By Christopher Walton A SLIM MAJORITY of the public has some sympathy with striking tanker drivers, according to research conducted exclusively for CM.
Following a week where tanker drivers at union Unite voted in favour of industrial action, leading to panic buying of fuel, CM has discovered that 21% of people have a lot of sympathy for tanker drivers, while 31% have a little sympathy.
The survey, conducted on 30 March and 1 April by GfK, shows that 26% have no sympathy at all with the drivers. Meanwhile, Unite says it is “ready to start talks through Acas” after it ruled out strike action over the Easter break.
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey says: “We asked the government repeatedly to help ensure that Acas talks began in a helpful environment. However, it is becoming clear that it had no interest in this, preferring instead to plot to take down a union.
“We call on the government to stop this now, and give these talks a chance.” Talks between the seven haulage irms involved in the industrial dispute – Turners (Soham); Norbert Dentressangle; Wincanton; BP; Hoyer; DHL and Suckling Transport – as well as the defence and transport secretaries took place on Friday.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change says: “Discussions focused on contingency planning, such as training more military drivers in the event that a strike is called. There is no strike at the moment, and we are calling for a swift resolution to this industrial dispute.” CM understands that as part of contingency plans, a minimum of 200 armed forces drivers are being trained to deliver fuel tankers, but that igure is likely to increase.
Drivers at Suckling and DHL did not vote in favour of strike action.
● Drivers’ hours rules for those delivering fuel were relaxed from 12.01am on Friday 30 March to 11.59pm today (5 April) allowing a daily driving limit of 11 hours, as opposed to nine, to ease the fuel supply shortages caused by the panic.