CALLING ROAD FREIGHT WORKERS

6 RMT is not just a railway union-it also represents heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers. The road-transport sector has been ignored for far too long now and there are many unorganised haulage companies out there just waiting for someone to offer them the opportunity to join a trade union. Therefore RMT will be holding a road freight transport training course on February 20 and 23 next year in Doncaster. The course is immediately before the RMT road-freight conference being held in the same venue on Friday February 24 2012. The course will cover: • How to make the union work for you • Improving road-freight employment conditions • Agency workers – a ‘level playing field’? • Representing road-freight RMT members • The road-freight conference – how to set the agenda that members want If you are an RMT road-freight member and want to find out how to improve working conditions then you should complete an application form available from your branch secretary. As an HGV driver of 30-plus years, I have witnessed a great deal of changes in the road transport industry mainly in the introduction of tachographs and driving hours regulations. A HGV driver is now considered to be “a professional driver” simply because of the knowledge needed to comply with so much legislation and the responsibilities of driving a vehicle weighing up to 44 tonnes. It is now mandatory that all HGV drivers have to take a driver’s Certificate of professional Competence (CPC). Many employers think that you are just “a lorry driver” which is not the case at all now with so many rules and regulations to abide by. This includes two sets of rules to work with, the HGV driving hours regulations and the European Working Time Directive. You are responsible for ensuring that the vehicle that you are driving is roadworthy, taxed, MOTed on both unit and trailer, that the load is secure and you have planned your routes to avoid low bridges, weight limits etc. Then you encounter another obstacle - “other road users”. We have all seen some of the dangerous and downright idiotic antics of some drivers which can put years on an HGV driver. An HGV carrying 44 tonnes cannot stop as quickly as a car and we have to leave a braking distance between lorry and the vehicle in front. A car driver sees this gap as an open invitation to sneak in, not realising the danger they have just put themselves in. The companies that RMT has recognition with are not being visited by branches in their locality - UPS, City-Link, DHL, Freightliner, DB Schenker, Inland Ports, Wincanton etc. Yet every branch will have either a City- Link or UPS depot in their area and should visited them as part of the branch plan. If you would like to visit a City-Link depot you can contact Brian Whitehead at Unity House. UPS visits can also be arranged by contacting Ken Usher at the Midlands regional office. You can also get any assistance from the organising unit by contacting either Gerry Hitchin or Donald Graham. RMT has recognition agreements with these companies and you would be allowed to visit drivers to recruit staff. A visit by the union goes a long way to reassuring members and it makes non- members understand the benefits of being a part of a trade union. So get along to conference next year. Details of the conference and training course can also found by contacting the conference secretary on 07944 589 151 or e-mail andy.rmt@btinternet.com CALLING ROAD FREIGHT WORKERS Leeds Goods and Cartage branch chair Trevor Howard calls on road- freight members to attend a conference and training course in February in Doncaster