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dd Is there anyone involved in the UK road haulage industry
Page 42
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who could claim to be satisfied with the present government? Apart from Mr Blair's propensity for policy U-turns, it now appears that he has the authority to overthrow any judgement that is not to his liking.
We are all familiar with the seemingly never-ending saga of the asylum seekers who wish to live in this country. That's fair enough, but it is their method of entry that I take issue with. They think that it is perfectly acceptable to stow away on any UK-bound vehicle that happens to be handy.
We all know that there is a thriving business in human traffic and someone out there is making an obscene amount of money out of the misery of these unfortunate people. We've also read the newspapers and are all familiar with the tragedy of asylum seekers who have suffocated in cramped, airless containers. No one could read such stories and not be moved. Nevertheless, there are two sides to every coin and I'm sure I speak for many hauliers when I say that we resent being used as unpaid Customs officials.
It's neither reasonable, nor practical, to expect a driver to examine every inch of his rig should he so much as stop at a traffic light for fear that someone has seized the opportunity to climb on board. These people are desperate and determined, not to mention amazingly inventive. The government decided that any haulier caught with an unauthorised passenger should be prosecuted and face a heavy fine. The few who were knowingly involved certainly deserved no less. But what about those drivers who had no idea that they were carrying stowaways? Hauliers put pressure on the government to re-think this policy, but to no avail. Eventually, left with no option, they took their case to the High Court. The fines were deemed unlawful and many companies facing financial ruin were justifiably relieved.
However, it now appears that Blair & Co are above the law. They don't like the decision of the courts so they've simply dedded to disregard it. Now, just to prove a point they intend to heap responsibility not only on the drivers but on the operators. And fines, apparently, will be doubled!
Is it Mr Blair's mission in life to drive us out of business completely? We have to contend with high fuel taxation, with unfair foreign competition and with a whole lot of daft directives from Brussels. Now, it seems we must also contend with a government on some kind of 'search and destroy' campaign aimed at the British haulage industry. Tell you what, Mr Blair, if the officials can't keep up with the flow of immigrants and sort out this problem themselves, why not supply us with the necessary uniforms and warrant cards and the appropriate salary and well all double up as security officers, customs officials and policemen and do their job for them!
Since the government obviously has no intention of helping us, isn't it time we helped ourselves? Take, as an example, the principles of the original trade unions. They did not compete with one another, but worked together to achieve their goals. By joining forces, hauliers stand far more chance of negotiating fair rates from their customers. Perhaps we should look to countries like France, where there are set rates for each destination, meaning that every company has a chance to be judged on its merits and not on how cheaply it is prepared to work, The financial constraints on the average British haulier including fuel, insurance, driver training and vehicle maintenance are things we all have to endure. We also have to accept the same set of problems—traffic-jams, hold-ups at the docks and endless delays at loading and unloading points. So since we are all in the same boat, why can't we stop trying to outbid each other and all pull together? It's the only way we will ever get this industry back on its feet.