The economic climate within the country was not that good and it seemed as if the work was slowing down, I would notice that not so many engines where being pushed for completion ,and used to go in to work for some shifts and have absolutely nothing to do, maybe I had done such a good job and done myself out of work.? I could walk around all shift with a empty box and no one would ask me what are you doing.
It got as on nights there was nothing at all to do ,only find a place within the stores and doss down for a few hours, something was going on and no one was saying yet,but it arrived one shift we were there , a notice was on the board stating that, low demand for engines was hitting the world demand for engines being a American firm they meant world wide, they would have to cut back with staff from all departments ,and it listed how many from where and it was last in first out,so as I was technically from the stores it looked as I was zbked, and as it turned out I was .
However the good news was that they were going to pay a minimum redundancy package going in 3 year stages [1month employment or 3 years you would get the same ] and up it went. I did not need to apply I was out ,but the cash deal was good however you would not get unemployment benefit for [I think it was 6 weeks] so off I went .and now to think about my future again.
Shift work ,i did not mind it at all as you got a premium payment so that made up for the inconvenience so I would look around for factory work within my area for a time. that was like trying to find rocking horse ■■■■. So it was going to be back to the lorry,s or dole.
I phoned for van jobs,lorry jobs anything in the end I got a interview about 10 miles away at a crisps factory in long Buck,by at “Golden wonder crisps” after the interview I was told that I had the job , Monday on days doing delivers to their warehouses [inter factory work] just what I needed]
I thought [not] as it was C licence work, own account meaning that it was a factory that operated their own lorry ,s also manufacturing production of crisps,and other products.
So the lorry,s were just another department and it could be organised and operated by a complete “numb nuts”.Not run as a haulage company, they were only legally allowed to haul there own goods or goods needed in the manufacture of their goods. That meant as a driver you never had a proper transport manager each shift foreman run the transport they needed,I new it was going to be a fiasco ,i had not forgotten any of the rules, it was not long before I found out the men running the transport did not know any .
There were other drivers there they had been there years so I was put on the shunting from one factory to another about 30 miles away. While they did deliver work to wholesalers.
It was not long before I found that the shunter unit I was driving was basically I wrote a defect sheet out and handed it in to the foreman, well he had never seen one as long before,so down came a manager, to sort me out-ish after I had listen to him all I said was oh, if you do not want defects you should have proper legal lorry,s and said ok if I kill you kids it is ok then he then got it and said yes we will sort it out .
mean while drive this other unit. Yes ,no problem, well that was worse, brakes -■■■■■■ , electrics ■■■■■■, no mud guards, it was a disaster and I thought is there something wrong with me or what .off I go again defect sheet ,in the meantime one of the regular drivers arrived back with his lorry I was told to use that ,fair enough. off I go to do my shunting local ,well ■■■■ me the speedometer in this lorry was not working. I should have turned around and gone back but I thought I just do one trip .
If I would have been caught speeding it would have been down to me, and you imagine explaining to the police why you are driving without a speedometer ,do not even think about it,
back I go, and the driver is still there so the conversation went like this
,excuse me “drive”[that is what other drivers call another driver if you do not know them]
i asked him did you know about the defect on your [ motor] =lorry,
what defect
oh I just went to market harbour and I noticed as soon as I was on the road after I put my tachograph in the speedometer is zb
no it was ok with me he said
I said o k show me your tachograph then, your making out as if it was me.
zb OFF WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE YOUR ONLY A TEMP .
What ,a temp .i was told I was permanent ,so the bells were ringing ,i said ok, get the boss down who can deal with this, so down the chap came and said what is the problem to the other driver,
I said it is me ,not him. and I told him ,that he allowed me to go out of the yard with a speedometer not working without saying, and he will not show me his tachograph, so the chap said why should he, so I said you will see that he has been driving without a speedometer all day.
show the boss then I said The bos said to me I think you better go home and ring later .
I said if you think your going zb me over ,over this ,I am going straight to the ministry of transport, and then you will be zb not me. The head ministry of transport enforcement officer [I know lives in the village I do]we drink together]white lie ,will get to know about how you run defect lorry,s and make the drivers do it with total disregarded for road safety. I still had my old transport [nothing illegal] head on
Towards home , I thought I cannot believe this ,as I had to go through the town ,I better get this sorted for my benefit maybe later on, I drop into the job centre and ask for a interview ,and I get one, and explain what has happened, in case it would affect a dole claim if it had come to that and if they ask what happened as leaving a job would affect your entitlements for the out of work money, also that was me out of the crisps.
I rang up the next day ,no surprise, I was not needed but they would pay me the week, sas they had my p45, I wanted that back I had calmed down and I thought ,do I want a lot of trouble going to the ministry no I do not ,so let them run like that I know I will not .