mrx:
Like after a fatal crash what support can u expect from your company? Wld they provide a lawyer? The TM to offer support?
From what I’m told when one of our trucks( not our depot),driven by a agency driver was involved in a fatal the company lawyers acted for him,I know he came and met with them at our depot,so yes it seems ours will provide a lawyer.
The Insurance company will represent you on behalf of your employer right up until the point where they see no gain or further protection to there liabilities in doing so, then they’ll drop you like a stone, and move responsibility to you and away from your employer if at all possible. Its all about restricting their liability, that mean backing you, or blaming you.
I’m in a Union, and this is one of the reasons why. your Union lawyers will represent your best intrests above everything else, including against your employer, if they (your employer, refer to above paragraph) try to go down that route.
I need to join a union…
As it happens i’m in URTU, I think they’re pretty good, they’ve coughed up for quite few speeding fines over the years, through the benevelent fund that i pay into as part of my due’s, £13.52 a month aint no kings ransome, (hope its ok to mention price) for a bit of peace of mind. but I think that UNITE provide pretty much the same benefits, I thought USDAW represented retail workers. find out if any of your colleages are in a Union, there might be a branch at your work, if so join the same one. Well that would be my advice
Last year i was involved in a serious accident on my bus, I fell asleep behind the wheel due to un-diagnosed sleep aponea and piled into some parked cars.
Anyhow, I was arrested and breathylised at he scene, then allowed to go to the hospital to be checked (as i blacked out they thought it could be heart or brain related) I was asked to ring the police station on my release from hospital and arrange to go and see them. I did this, left a statement and was told to report back in a week.
the company DIDNT want to know, they just told me to go home and stay there till THEY contact me… FFS
anyhow, luckily we had a good union, and my rep reported back to the copshop with me, with the unions legal department on standby (1 call would have had a solicitor there within half hour ) anyhow, they were not needed as i was de-arrested when we explained that i was going for more tests and were not going to drive again till the DVLA medical department and my docs cleared me (i had a letter off my GP advising me not to drive). i was then released without charge but was informed the officer would be in touch for an update in a few weeks.
1 week later I was sacked by the company as an estimated 35Ks worth of damage had been done. over the course of the next few weeks I was diagnosed and exhonerated of any wrong doing by the police, the DVLA cleared me to drive again (with certain terms) and the UNION fought and WON me my job back!
Is it actually a good thing to win a job back at a place that clearly hated you enough to get rid of you on any pretence in the first place?
Thing is, do those that “can’t go back” get enough of a payoff that they can afford to make that decision? Eg. 5+ years pay instead of the “normal” redundancy maximums of around 2 years?
Pete the post:
Your Union will ALWAYS look after you more than your company.
You should all be in a union then nobody will be driving C&E for £6.50 ph or £7ph for heavy haulage
You all need to to realise that you shouldn’t be dragging others down to your “race to the bottom”, but instead be aspiring to get to the Union agreed terms and conditions, it’ll pay off in the end and you won’t shoot yourselves in the foot and you MAY improve all of our rates and conditions.
Don’t see it happening somehow when drivers are willing to work for nowt to get experience, same thing happened in the '80’s, bosses trialled you for a week then said goodbye,just to get a load moved, ring any bells?
30 years on and what’s changed apart from your hourly rate is less than it was 20 years ago
you sir are like juddian, winseer and myself! thank you these thick clowns don’t see it! 100 % compliment.
To a lot of companies you are only a number, so it doesn’t matter why or who “let you go” it was just some jobsworth suit crunching numbers that signed the paperwork with his/her parker pen!
Bungle666:
1 week later I was sacked by the company as an estimated 35Ks worth of damage had been done. over the course of the next few weeks I was diagnosed and exhonerated of any wrong doing by the police, the DVLA cleared me to drive again (with certain terms) and the UNION fought and WON me my job back!
cheers
B…
The level of damage should make no difference to your employment, the only 2 questions to be asked should be were you neglegent, and are you fit to work. You werent neglegent and have been passed fit to drive. The company, as proved with help and support of your Union, acted wrongly in sacking you. I’am well pleased for you mate that it all worked out in the end. The last thing you needed on top of all the medical stress you were going through, was to have agro from your employer.
I hope I never have to be in that position, but I keep paying my due’s each month. its like a kind off insurance, more should do it
Do not depend on anyone to help you - get your own solicitors/ barristers/lawyers/ investigators whatever you need to sort it out . if the company you work for are in any way decent they will sort the bill out .If not you looked after yourself and put up the best defense you could - not some cheap solicitor working to a lowest price . It’s you that will be in the dock - potentially going to jail - who do you trust?
Winseer:
Is it actually a good thing to win a job back at a place that clearly hated you enough to get rid of you on any pretence in the first place?
Well ,they got me in the end! had it stitched up and undeniable, in the end I had no choice but to resign! The only reason i went back was the PRINCIPLE of the matter! Still im glad im out of there! just need to sort this CPC and i can get busy on the class 2!
My outfit don’t recognise unions & they don’t give a flying ■■■■ about drivers, we’re 2 for a penny you see…!!! If anything happens you’re on your own, they have trouble sending someone out if you run out of time, would dread to think what happens in a serious/fatal involving their motor…
Pimpdaddy:
My outfit don’t recognise unions & they don’t give a flying [zb] about drivers, we’re 2 for a penny you see…!!! If anything happens you’re on your own, they have trouble sending someone out if you run out of time, would dread to think what happens in a serious/fatal involving their motor…
Which is precisely why you need the back up, have someone in your corner who’s working for you, they could try to not recognise the Union, but they wont fail to recognise correspondance from your Union lawyer. I believe that after a certain percentage off employees are in a union, then by law they have to recognise it.
Most drivers are arrested until the police have secured the scene and gathered evidence. Remember a tacho chart can help your case as well as convict you.
This would also happen if someone was murdered in a house and there were other people there, although they may tend to be more forceful with the bloke with a knife in his hand. Think of the lorry as a knife.
I believe any police officer in uniform can drive a lorry without having passed a lorry test, or at least they could.
Pimpdaddy:
My outfit don’t recognise unions & they don’t give a flying [zb] about drivers, we’re 2 for a penny you see…!!! If anything happens you’re on your own, they have trouble sending someone out if you run out of time, would dread to think what happens in a serious/fatal involving their motor…
Which is precisely why you need the back up, have someone in your corner who’s working for you, they could try to not recognise the Union, but they wont fail to recognise correspondance from your Union lawyer. I believe that after a certain percentage off employees are in a union, then by law they have to recognise it.
Hi it is 50% +1 for the company to have to recognize the union and it must be the same union i would recommend USDAW as unite (TGWU) are quite the opposite and still run from separate offices and separate groups so although a big union they are completely separated and not what they should be
) anyhow, they were not needed as i was de-arrested when we explained that i was going for more tests and were not going to drive again till the DVLA medical department and my docs cleared me (i had a letter off my GP advising me not to drive). i was then released without charge but was informed the officer would be in touch for an update in a few weeks.
are like juddian, winseer and myself! 
thank you 
these thick clowns don’t see it! 
100 % compliment.