FIGHTING FOR DIGNITY IN THE ROAD FREIGHT SECTOR

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: april 2011 :: RMTnews 10 Delegates to RMT’s annual road freight conference, which gathered at South Milford in Yorkshire last month heard that union members were being given a rough ride by Freightliner. Mick Williams, Leeds Goods and Cartage, told delegates that the situation at Freightliner was “really getting out of hand,” with bosses targeting RMT members. “Take note of this because it’s going to spread like a disease,” he warned. Maurice Hamilton, Leeds Goods and Cartage, said that 60 drivers had recently been employed at Freightliner on 12- month contracts. “Our chances of recruiting them are minimal,” he added. Conference agreed that the motion should be sent for debate at the union’s annual general meeting in Fort William this summer. Delegate numbers at this year’s conference swelled to more than double that of last year – 22 members from eight branches and one regional council – following a concerted drive by the union to improve attendance. Assistant general secretary Mick Cash hailed the meeting as “one of the best-attended road- freight conferences in many years”. In his conference address Mick told delegates that the road-freight industry was a “bellwether of the economy” as a whole. “Your pay is down, your earnings are down. Why? “Because people are not willing to spend and they do not want the goods you carry. “In difficult times confidence can drop. But if we pick the right issues we will be able to get workers into the union and organise. “Where you have trade union organisation we are holding the line and preventing the worst excesses of the employer. “Where we’re best organised and ready to fight we get better results and better rates of pay”. Mick accused the government of trying to curtail workers’ rights, their access to healthcare, pensions and the right to strike. He said that RMT activists should not restrict themselves to solely workplace issues but be aware of the broader political fight against the ConDem government. He cited the 500,000-strong national march against cuts in London on March 26 as the kind of mobilisation that was possible in defence of public services that ordinary people rely on. Many delegates repeated their experience that the number of agency workers and others on short-term contracts, on lower rates of pay, continues to grow in the industry. They warned that these workers have little incentive to join the union. Mick Cash suggested that the union can “map out the situation around the county, raise it with the companies and take them on over it”. Conference called on the union to negotiate with the employers for the full cost to replace drivers’ expired digital tachograph card. Bosses are suggesting to drivers that the cards – which last five years and cost up to £35 to replace – are the responsibility of the driver. “Companies are saying ‘they’re your card, you pay for them’,” said Andrew Hill, Leeds Goods and Cartage. Delegates also backed a motion from Ian Foster, Coventry No1, for the union to negotiate with DHL (Marks and Spencer contract). “The rate paid for overtime working must be increased to bring it in line with basic pay, without jeopardising the annual basic pay award,” said Ian. Kevin Hughes of RMT lawyers Thompsons addressed conference, fielding questions on legal issues surrounding pensions, personal injury claims and holiday entitlement. Kevin explained that health and safety legislation was under attack – its ridicule by the likes of television presenter Jeremy Clarkson was part of a wider agenda to undermine the advances in this area won by the trade-union movement since the 1970s. “Government cuts to Health and Safety Executive inspectors mean that the chances of an employer getting a visit from them is already just one in a thousand. “It’s going to be even less in future, therefore more responsibility will rest on the shoulders of the trade union health and safety reps,” he said. Kevin hailed RMT’s recent victory in the Court of Appeal over Serco Docklands where the judges overturned an earlier ruling which would have effectively banned the right to strike in Britain. Serco had originally successfully argued that minor irregularities in industrial action ballots were enough to render them void, even if a huge majority had clearly voted for action. “It was a great victory for RMT and a great victory for Bob Crow sticking to his guns. “The gamble paid off and a great victory was won not just for RMT but the trade union movement as a whole,” said Kevin. FIGHTING FOR DIGNITY IN THE ROAD FREIGHT SECTOR RMT road-freight activists condemn Freightliner for “total disregard and lack of respect” for union members