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T.G.W.U. Campaign Against Excessive Hours

7th July 1961, Page 34
7th July 1961
Page 34
Page 34, 7th July 1961 — T.G.W.U. Campaign Against Excessive Hours
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

FROM OUR INDUSTRIAL CORRESPONDENT

A NEW campaign against road haulage contractors and their drivers who work excessive hours and do not observe the rest period regulations is foreshadowed at the Biennial Delegate Conference of the Transport and General Workers' Union.

The conference, which opens at Brighton next Monday, will have before it a series of resolutions to ease the work of lorry drivers.

One expresses "serious alarm" at the way Section 73 of the Road Traffic Act, 1960, is being violated throughout the country "by a majority of operators" and urges that traffic enforcement officers should have increased facilities.

Another wants heavier penalties imposed on persons violating this section. One of the penalties should be disqualification of the driver's licence "to deter these drivers from exceeding the legal hours to be worked."

A third wants an amendment of the section to reduce the maximum working day to 10 hours and to extend the rest period to 13 hours in any period of 24 hours.

Categories for Drivers Another branch urges that drivers should be graded into three categories.

I. The long-distance driver to be paid as a skilled man and recognized as such.

2. The driver who does not have any nights away from home.

3. The driver who does only local deliveries.

Further, it demands that there should be registration for drivers, similar to that operating for dockers.

Under this proposal, drivers should be paid according to their category, instead of the existing practice of payment according to the weight carried by the type of vehicle.

There is also an attack on the Minister of Transport for allowing the practice of "trip bonus" payment for drivers to continue.

This "pernicious system," the resolution states, has been the biggest contributory factor encouraging drivers to drive at excessive speeds for long hours with

little or no rest at all. Gross overloading, with its consequent strains and stresses, made the vehicle a potential danger to other road users, it is stated.

Encouraging False Sheets While this method of payment was allowed to remain legal, drivers would be encouraged to falsify log sheets and violate every law contained in the Road Traffic Acts.

Other resolutions call for compensatory payments to make up for the raising of the speed limit from 20 to 30 m.p.h. and tor all drivers of commercial vehicles of over 3 tons unladen weight to have to hold again an H.G.V. licence and to be registered by the Ministry of Labour as skilled drivers of heavy goods vehicles.

On the bus side, the conference will be asked to express its "serious concern"

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at the continued crisis in London Transport, resulting in higher fares, more waiting, fewer buses for the travelling public and worsening conditions for bus workers.

Other resolutions ask for an annual review of wage settlements; for an examination of the inevitability of the contraction of the bus .passenger industry; for the elimination of all high-cost uneconomic services and for the recognition that national rates and conditions are minimum rates without prejudice to prosperous firms which are already paying higher rates.

There are several demands for a Government inquiry into the whole passenger transport industry and one for a single unified negotiating body to deal with wages and conditions for London Transport, municipal and private company undertakings.

Smiths of Maddiston Buy Two Concerns

THE share capital of two haulage concerns has been acquired by J. and A. Smith of Maddiston. Ltd. A total of 48 vehicles have been taken over. The first concern is McCann and McKay, Glasgow, who operate approximately 40 vehicles on A licence, a number of which are vans and which are mostly concerned with work in central Scotland.

The second company is J. Dennison and Co., Ltd., of Falkirk, who operate eight vehicles between Scotland and England. This company formed the Scottish section of Seraggs, of Cheadle, Lanes, who intend to carry on their business as usual with their original fleet from their Midland base.

The staffs of both of the concerns will be retained, it has been stated.

WOLVERHAMPTON JUST OUT OF RED

ALTHOUGH there was a gross surplus of £72,401 for the year ended March 31, last, on the workings of Wolverhampton Corporation transport department, loan charges reduced it to a net surplus of £4,722. In 1959 thew was a £140,701 gross and a £47,395 net surplus.

Wolverhampton, which is to buy no more trolleybuses, had a gross profit of £103,211 (1147,816 in 1959) on those vehicles, and a deficit of £30,810 (£7,115) on motorbuses. This was because the trolleybuses are on the shorter, more profitable town routes.


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