Redundancy awards to drivers
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Al Industrial Tribunal at Carlisle last week made redundancy awards totalling over £223 in favour of three lorry drivers against their former employer, John Stamper (Farms) Ltd., of Dearham, Maryport, West Cumberland.
On behalf of the drivers, Mr. James Moore, district secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union, claimed that the firm had failed to find them suitable alternative employment when giving them notice. It had sold all its A-licensed vehicles to another haulage firm which had subsequently employed the men, but there was no continuity of service.
One of the drivers, Mr. Joseph Storey, of Cockermouth, stated that Mr. R. Stamper, the managing director, had told them in their written notice that they could get a job with H. and L. Haulage Co. Ltd., of Workington, which bought his lorries, if they applied. When given jobs by an H. and L. Haulage official, however, it was made clear there was no question of continuity of service.
The new jobs also required them spending three to six nights away from home each week and they had to find their own transport to the firm's depot at Workington, whereas Stamper had provided transport to work.
Mr. Stamper told the Tribunal that H. and L. Haulage had taken over the A licence part of his business and, therefore, there was a continuity of service and no redundancy payments were needed.
An official of H. and L. had said they would employ the drivers from Stamper after buying the A licence side. Mr. J. Kennedy, for the Ministry of Labour, said the Ministry regarded the men's jobs as a continuation of employment, after an earlier decision by the Tribunal concerning another driver.
The Tribunal's awards were: J. Storey £57 3s. 9d.; R. Cook and K. Clark, also of Cockermouth, £114 7s. 6d. and £51 9s. 5d. respectively. The Tribunal also fixed a redundancy payment of £165 16s. 11d. in respect of George Charters, of Little Broughton, Cockermouth, after his former company, John Stamper Ltd., had withdrawn its opposition.
For the firm, Mr. T. H. Campbell Wardlaw said it was withdrawing its opposition after the Ministry of Labour had informed them that the Ministry would pay the redundancy payment rebate.