leo.saphira:
Pointy shoes at our place dropped our hours from 48hr to 45hr on same pay.
Has rather upset most of the driving workforce at our location
7.5% wage rise. I know a few where I’m at who would rather take a cut in salaried hours for the same money than a rise.
I think that this is the way that it will eventually pan out, rates and bonuses are not really the big issue here, it is the T&Cs that make a good job with the hours reduced for the same money. Then as if by magic the driver shortage ends.
DCPCFML:
Because union men all hold some deluded belief that the world stops turning without them and that their loyalty is highly valued by their company CEO., hence why they work at the same place their entire lives and miss out on other, better opportunities elsewhere. The reality is that the CEO will chew you up and spit you out without giving a singular [zb] for your 40 years unblemished work record if it will make them more money. See Tesco, Suttons and all the fuel cos.
2 pay rises in the last 2 months . None of which were asked for and we don’t have a union . The boss saw the way things were going and decided to up the money to keep good staff that know the job .
Now we were on good money ( for the area ) and still are , top class kit , a good mix of work - the office staff try their best to keep us all on the kinds of work we like to do , some guys are on set runs , some of us like a more varied mix of work and destinations and thats catered for as well. No bad manners from the office . As a total package it suits me well and while I do look round at other companies I have yet to find anything that suits me anywhere else .
Union was worthwhile when it was TGWU, unite are toothless and have proved this many times over the years at our place despite good support from the drivers.
Pretty much everyone left after they lost their backbone yet again at the last wage talks.
Has been offered and taken a day job on £260 a day. No ifs, no buts, £260 for the shift. Max hours occaisionally 11-12 but usual shift 10. His current place of employment are hemorrhaging drivers (some of them of long standing) but still can’t work out why.
Has been offered and taken a day job on £260 a day. No ifs, no buts, £260 for the shift. Max hours occaisionally 11-12 but usual shift 10. His current place of employment are hemorrhaging drivers (some of them of long standing) but still can’t work out why.
Where’s that about in the country Lincoln? agency or on the books?
Has been offered and taken a day job on £260 a day. No ifs, no buts, £260 for the shift. Max hours occaisionally 11-12 but usual shift 10. His current place of employment are hemorrhaging drivers (some of them of long standing) but still can’t work out why.
Where’s that about in the country Lincoln? agency or on the books?
He lives in…
Yorkshire and it’s agency PAYE. I know the job and it’ll run up to xmas at least.
In answer to the question yes I did get 3 pay rises in the spring and early summer, none of which were expected. At our depot the driver salary increased by £6k in three months. Also it’s clear that all wages in south west have gone up to similar levels although not matching the giddy heights of you lot elsewhere in the country.
Overtime is now paid automatically whereas we didn’t get any overtime before. However, the hours went up to 48 hours per week, from 45.
What I would say is that the pay has gone up to a sensible level from a very poor level, although arguably still not enough hourly rate to afford living costs in this area.
The logistics side ( road transport ) drivers have been given a 33% rise on basic - but their original wage was pretty rubbish so its more a levelling up to where they should have been rather than a move up to a new level
Rikki-UK:
The logistics side ( road transport ) drivers have been given a 33% rise on basic - but their original wage was pretty rubbish so its more a levelling up to where they should have been rather than a move up to a new level
Rikki, I agree, wages have been crap for a very long time in this industry, but an increase is an increase and must be welcomed.
It’s just that the wages stagnated in the past for so long, whilst everything else that the public bought rose,
so in reality, drivers are earnng more but it won’t cover the price rises of the past.
Looks good on the pay slip but we are still WAY , WAY back !!
Think they’re getting desperate round here. Small place I drive for has sent me a text today begging me to work next work (I only work part-time and got stuff planned next week) as he’s got work coming out of his ears but no drivers. Offered another £20 on the shift rate which now works out about £20-22/hr based on how long the jobs usually take. That’s the second increase in the space of 1 or 2 months . Job is a piece of ■■■■, max 4.5 hrs driving, min 2 hrs sleeping and the hardest part is walking to the back of the trailer to take the reg plate off.
We are getting £50 bonus for a sixth shift per week till end of December and a £2000 lump sump in January and they are calling it a retention bonus. But pay negations are going crap 1.25% first offer, 1.75% second offer. I can see it coming to a strike threat near Christmas. All our drivers are seeing these crazy increases in our competition so won’t put up with anything under 5% and extra t+c’s benefits I reckon. I personally want 10% and time and half for o/t and that would keep me quiet. Not had a pay increase in 3 years with the company saying the customer is screaming poverty and covid, time to pony up with the dosh now.
merc0447:
We are getting £50 bonus for a sixth shift per week till end of December and a £2000 lump sump in January and they are calling it a retention bonus. But pay negations are going crap 1.25% first offer, 1.75% second offer. I can see it coming to a strike threat near Christmas. All our drivers are seeing these crazy increases in our competition so won’t put up with anything under 5% and extra t+c’s benefits I reckon. I personally want 10% and time and half for o/t and that would keep me quiet. Not had a pay increase in 3 years with the company saying the customer is screaming poverty and covid, time to pony up with the dosh now.
Company won’t do anything until you call their bluff by putting in your notice en-mass. They won’t be bothered about threats of strikes because they know you won’t go through with it. £50 bonus is a joke. Good laugh! As for lump sum payments in January, seriously? No-one is dumb enough to fall for that■■? Get your notice(s) in and watch them squirm. What have you got to lose? If they call your bluff, you have infinite agency work in every direction paying £20/hr and rising.
DCPCFML:
Company won’t do anything until you call their bluff by putting in your notice en-mass. They won’t be bothered about threats of strikes because they know you won’t go through with it.
Of course the drivers will all put their notice in en-mass ? Why would they all be willing to hand their notices in but not strike? The best that the drivers could do is to form a union and do it properly, no need to strike, why does everyone assume a union is all about striking?
merc0447:
We are getting £50 bonus for a sixth shift per week till end of December and a £2000 lump sump in January and they are calling it a retention bonus. But pay negations are going crap 1.25% first offer, 1.75% second offer. I can see it coming to a strike threat near Christmas. All our drivers are seeing these crazy increases in our competition so won’t put up with anything under 5% and extra t+c’s benefits I reckon. I personally want 10% and time and half for o/t and that would keep me quiet. Not had a pay increase in 3 years with the company saying the customer is screaming poverty and covid, time to pony up with the dosh now.
Company won’t do anything until you call their bluff by putting in your notice en-mass. They won’t be bothered about threats of strikes because they know you won’t go through with it. £50 bonus is a joke. Good laugh! As for lump sum payments in January, seriously? No-one is dumb enough to fall for that■■? Get your notice(s) in and watch them squirm. What have you got to lose? If they call your bluff, you have infinite agency work in every direction paying £20/hr and rising.
This^^^
We had some divers leave, moving on to better paying jobs. And we let it known to management that more are looking to move on. All of a sudden we were given a 10% pay rise with more to come.
Yes, but only coz I walked. Currently earning £4.50p/h more than the place I left. They cannot get drivers for toffee and are paying exorbitant agency fees. I think they’re hoping it will all settle down and they can keep regulars on the same money as before. Bit of a gamble for them if all their drivers bugger off in the mean time. I’m not the first to walk and won’t be the last.
Just been offered £25 an hour to do 4 days over the bank holiday weekend. And it’s not even xmas yet.
. Job is a piece of ■■■■, max 4.5 hrs driving, min 2 hrs sleeping and the hardest part is walking to the back of the trailer to take the reg plate off. 
