Wednesday 18 February 2004 - News - Health and safety
Haulage worker hits back over drivers' hours
A worker with a haulage
company this week hit back at a trade union survey which claimed
that almost three-quarters (72%) of lorry drivers believed that
working long hours had damaged their family and social lives.
The findings of the survey by Usdaw were submitted to an ongoing Government consultation concerning the Road Transport Working Time Directive recently, as reported by The NetRisk on 6 February.
However, Steve Frazer-Brown of Milbank Trucks told us that he was "extremely concerned" by the "biased view being presented by the unions to Europe and the British government regarding lorry drivers and the hours that they work."
Mr Frazer-Brown, who stressed that his views were his own and not those of his employers, claimed that Usdaw's poll was not representative of the haulage industry as a whole, only of union membership.
"The vast majority of lorry drivers are not union members and are totally against the Road Transport Directive," he said. "I, as a non-union member, and almost all of my drivers find it quite frustrating that the unions are supporting legislation that takes away the opportunity to improve a drivers quality of life by earning more.
"The same applies to the Working Time Directive. The message to the unions and to Europe is quite simply 'butt out' and let people make their own choices about how many hours they work."
He added that he had conducted his own survey among the workforce at Milbank Trucks in response to the Government consultation paper and found that 82% disagreed with the Road Transport Working Time Directive, which will limit drivers' hours. Also 89% considered it unfair that they will have no choice to opt out, as other sectors can.
Johnny Thomson
The findings of the survey by Usdaw were submitted to an ongoing Government consultation concerning the Road Transport Working Time Directive recently, as reported by The NetRisk on 6 February.
However, Steve Frazer-Brown of Milbank Trucks told us that he was "extremely concerned" by the "biased view being presented by the unions to Europe and the British government regarding lorry drivers and the hours that they work."
Mr Frazer-Brown, who stressed that his views were his own and not those of his employers, claimed that Usdaw's poll was not representative of the haulage industry as a whole, only of union membership.
"The vast majority of lorry drivers are not union members and are totally against the Road Transport Directive," he said. "I, as a non-union member, and almost all of my drivers find it quite frustrating that the unions are supporting legislation that takes away the opportunity to improve a drivers quality of life by earning more.
"The same applies to the Working Time Directive. The message to the unions and to Europe is quite simply 'butt out' and let people make their own choices about how many hours they work."
He added that he had conducted his own survey among the workforce at Milbank Trucks in response to the Government consultation paper and found that 82% disagreed with the Road Transport Working Time Directive, which will limit drivers' hours. Also 89% considered it unfair that they will have no choice to opt out, as other sectors can.
Johnny Thomson
