The small firm ive been working for has been braving the crunch pretty well, the boss has been working non-stop trying to get new work in and so far weve been scraping by pretty well. All the drivers have had work. Recently though some of our main customers have closed down for the next few months, cut back their orders to basically zero or have dissapeared alltogether.
Obviously, this has made things tough and we now seem to be struggling… a scenario thats being played out all over the country within many other companies, not just in haulage.
A few days ago I was given a letter with a contact attatched to sign. It basically says that because of the downturn in work over the last few months the company cant afford to pay the drivers their contacted hours and we need to sign the new contact to agree to only be paid the hours we work, I.E if theres only 3 hours work we just get 3 hours pay, not our contacted 10 hours. If theres no work at all we dont get paid.
I can fully understand the situation. the only other way would be redundancies, the boss is trying to be fair to everyone and keep the company going without anyone losing their jobs, I honesty cant fault what hes done in trying to source work and what his intentions are now. He the best boss ive worked for and I trust him 110%.
I dont think I have a choice but to sign the contract and agree to the terms. Is anyone else in the same situation as me regarding re-worked contracts? Any advice on what to do next? Should I start looking for another job??
We’ve had a slight cut to our weekend pay but it wouldn’t surprise me if we had to take more. Like you, I understand my boss’s situation and I’ll just do whatever it takes to keep us going, knowing that when things do eventually pick up, so will the pay.
We’re in for an absolute bloodbath with the economy this year and I think lots of us are going to have to face the same decision.
The mob I worked for told me there were no problems before xmas last year and after a little negotiation gave us a pound an hour rise on top of what was a good wage tramping.
They bumped a couple of drivers but said it was because they wanted only drivers willing to go south and where fed up with their moaning so I went and got a home improvement loan just after xmas and got the bump end of february and they went bust in march.
I wish they did what your mob are doing and been honest about there troubles, it was the price of fuel they blamed and to be honest its the fuel rises then I blame for this recession but no one seems to admit this.
In saying that had they tried this we did not know things would be as bad as this so would most likely have chucked it.
I can appreciate your dilemma.
Is it not possible to agree with boss that you will get paid as he wants, WITHOUT signing a new contract?
I would be concerened about what happens if you sign this and then are made redundant etc.
Also I would want some kind of WRITTEN assurance that when things pick up you will be returned to full pay.
Your boss may be a top man, but you have to look after your own interests.
Good luck!
We have been given the same Lankytim, think its commenable that OUR bosses are taking this more seriously than what the Government, Banks and other Large companies did recently… if only they had looked a little further ahead then I don’t think we would be in such a mess■■?
We have been told we will be paid a minimum of 40 hrs, but hopefully we wont drop below 48 hrs a week. They are taking this measure to try to ensure the security of ALL the workforce. From what we have been told they did this thru the last 2 downturns and came thru it. So I have faith in my boss.
The new contract seems to be open-ended, thats my main worry. There should be a time frame specified after which the situation will be reviewed I.E every 2 months or so, although im sure the boss wouldnt try and rip us off.
I was also concerned that should the firm go under my redundancy pay would be based on what I had been paid in the weeks before my redundancy, not what my original contracted hours were, for example 10 hours a week instead of 48. Turns out you only get redundancy after 2 years employment and I have worked there for quite that long yet! Its something to consider for anyone else facing this situation though.
Many thanks for all the comments and opinions guys.
The situation ■■■■■. Ive been personally avoiding the credit crunch for all this time and now here it is, banging on my door. Good luck to everyone else in the same boat!
i am going to stick by Richard through thick and thin. I have been at Fleetwood for eight years and it has all been thick until recently but now it is thin. I am sure we will survive the recession and be in a far stronger position than ever afterwards but I would not dream of jumping ship from a good job just because times were tight and economies had to be made. Loyalty, innit?
And at the end of the day, if I only worked three hours then that would give me 21 hours to “Get a Life”
is it time to cut costs by suspending the wtd, driver cpc, they take time and money to implement for little gain and i do think it would be one less thing to think about
I wouldnt bail outnow, & I wouldnt sign the new contract for the previously stated reasons.
Even though the maximum redundancy will probably be calculated at £330 p/w
I`d have a gut feeling that theres a high chance that the firm will go belly up anyhow, and would be wanting to maintain my income level until zero day
its ok saying don’t sign it, but if the firm is struggling you can guarentee the ones who didn’t sign would be the first out of the door.
whats the chances of you having a three hour day, by the time you’ve gone in, done your checks, had a brew and got your instructions you’re near enough on an hour before you leave the yard.
at the moment its a bosses market, sign it and see what you earn in the coming weeks, if its not enough to live on, start looking elsewhere
its ok saying don’t sign it, but if the firm is struggling you can guarentee the ones who didn’t sign would be the first out of the door.
I would have thought that the opposite was true. Those who HAVEN’T signed will cost more in redundancy payments, so are more likely to survive till the end.
Glad it’s a choice I don’t have to make.
You don’t say if there is any minimum - 40 hours a week or whatever. It would be a bit much to expect you to come in every morning only to be sent home with an hour’s pay. On the other hand, if it averages out over a week then as other’s have said, it’s a hell of a lot better than the dole.
It is in your interest as well as your boss’s that his company survives.
In one way its a bit crap but I guess in these current terrible conditions (financially not the snow!) you’ll have to accept that cuts will have to be made. Look at the poor sods in the Honda factory in Swindon, I believe they’ve shut down for 4months and paying the workers for 2! Sign of the times. From what you’ve put, you’re boss seems quite straight, I’d say that all you can do is trust him and ride it out. Hopefully, he will reward you’re loyalty when things get better.
have you had a chat with your boss and asked the situation or are you in a member in a union or do you have a drivers rep
you need to get something down on paper which suits both parties, what i mean is some unscrupulous employers will use this as a chance to knock down wages and it will take years for them to go back up again. but if you gaffer is a decent boss he should revue the pay every 2/3 months and have a company meeting with the drivers to discuss how things are going.
Don’t forget that redundancy is based on wages payed at the time, if you take a pay cut to keep your job then get made redundant, you will recieve less redundancy
Im afraid it pays to be very cynical…what are the chances of your boss putting you onto this new contract and then once signed a few weeks down the road he goes belly up…As has been said your redundancy money will be based on what you are earning not on what you previously earnt. Id be very very careful before signing anything away. Get together with the other drivers and then have a meeting with the boss…and good luck!!!
I would be very wary of signing any kind of document on those terms. If things are that desperate you might be better to start looking for a new job now if you can, and stay on the agreement you are currently on.
Maybe you can tell your boss that you will try the system he proposes, but you will not sign a written agreement. Bosses only ever want to commit things to writing when it benefits them, they are not so keen the other way around.
Personally speaking, I smell a company about to go ‘wheels up’ and you may need to look for signs of capital being taken out of the company, before that happens. If you have been there long enough (2 years) to get redundency pay, then you would be advised to protect it.
Sign of the times. From what you’ve put, you’re boss seems quite straight, I’d say that all you can do is trust him and ride it out. Hopefully, he will reward you’re loyalty when things get better. 
