Wincanton in pay talks
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• by Dominic Perry A new dispute about pay and conditions at distribution specialist Wincanton Logistics seems to have been narrowly averted.
Drivers on its contract with Rexam Plastics complained that management had ignored repeated requests to talk about pay, adopting a "take it or leave it" attitude which left staff morale at rock bottom.
In addition, the drivers say they have had to wait since last September to sign their new contracts because of amendments by management. They refused to work overtime because they feared they would not be paid for it.
But now it seems Wincanton management has orally agreed
to the drivers' demand for a bbhour week including breaks, rather than the threatened 60hour week. Wincanton says there were never any hours specified in the contract, adding that it agreed to the changes because it makes no difference.
The dispute is concerned with drivers working out of depots in Hereford, Wrexham and Purfleet.
One driver says Wincanton managers adopted a heavyhanded attitude. "We are being treated like crap," he says. "It's extraordinary that they don't even look after their own people. I'd have thought that any firm worth its salt would want to negotiate—all we are asking for is a fair wage for a fair day's work." Last year the drivers voted for a rise of 5%; management imposed a "non-negotiable" 2.5% increase, including overtime.
Wincanton says tt operates an open-book contract with Rexam, which dictates the wage on offer to the drivers: "it is not within Wincanton's power to make one pay award or another," says a spokesman.
He adds that employees at Rexam receivd the same 2.5% pay award as the drivers. However, CM has learned that Rexam employees received a lump sum payment of 2.5% on their year-to-date earnings between 1January 2000 and 30 April 2000. The drivers' wages were eventually backdated, but only to July 2000.