Rolling week for BRS?
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by Juliet Parish • BRS was expected to use a wage negotiations meeting on Tuesday this week to try to introduce a Continental-style rolling week for some of its 4,000 drivers in England and Wales who work weekends.
The rolling week would replace the typical Monday to Friday shifts for some drivers who would instead work any five days in a rolling seven.
BRS is looking at the whole terms and conditions agreement to tailor its operations to its customers' needs, says human resources director Victor Ross: "We want to make sure the terms and conditions agreements give us the flexibility and competitiveness we need."
Agreement on the package will be the last hurdle before the Transport and General Workers Union and the United Road Transport Union ballot their members on whether to accept the company's offer of a 2% pay increase from this month plus a £50 lump sum.
BRS is expected to want the option of imposing rolling weeks on new staff from September.
URTU is against the principle of a rolling week: The transport industry takes so much out of a driver's social life anyway, it is not fair to take any more by asking them to work during the weekend," says general secretary David Higginbottom.
Other parts of NFC already use rolling weeks. About 150 Exel Newsflow drivers were balloted last week on whether they will work six days instead of five, with two days off. And some Exel drivers on a Tesco contract are working Monday to Friday, some Tuesday to Saturday.