Pay and Conditions in the EU

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

Like most drivers I complain about the pay and conditions for UK drivers but wonder how it s abroad.

Recently visited Poland and enquired about pay and conditions. Spoke to a driver at a petrol station and he told me that he was being paid by mileage or I guess by kilometre, he said he was taking home about 2000zl per week £400 but could not find out what night out money he was getting. He was off to Spain.

Looking at ads this seems to be an average but some driver jobs are advertising at up to 15,000zl per month gross = £3000. If this is true, considering the lower living costs in Poland I am off, but their demands are you must have a C + E licence, OK there, qualification and drivers card, fine. Then they ask for basic knowledge of English, well can manage that just about and German, OK beginning to fail. They also demand a current medical examinations, well have high blood pressure but I should be OK and a psychological examination, So I guess I am staying in the UK.

Back on topic, there was a bit on TV about waiting times on a news program and interviewed a Bulgarian driver waiting to leave the UK who was saying he was only getting 50 Euros for a night out which was not enough.

Recently asked a Italian driver who was parked up next to me about his salary and benefits but he wuld not tell me

2

Canoworms comparing different countries.
Some have seemingly low pay, but have good (and tax free) allowances to make that up. Pay might be hourly, salaried, truck earnings related, whatever.
The cost of living varies, so lower pay might go further if housing is half the cost.
Tax might be higher or lower, but what does that give you? (Beware health care in the USA of course!)

Member “barrykam” is probably the guy to ask about a lot of it.

"Re: Polish-friendly DCPC online?
Postby barrykam » 22 Jul 2022, 17:15
I’ll put the boot on the other foot. I’m a Brit living in Poland (Polish wife) and last month needed to renew my CPC. I had a choice of languages to do the course in, well to be more precise I had 2 choices… Polish or Russian.
My Polish although limited is better than my Russian so opted for the Polish option.
I’ve struggled and still am trying to learn Polish but accept that if I wish to live and more importantly work here then I need to be able to at least understand what my boss and my other co workers are saying to me."

3

And of course the elephant in the room…
since Brexit new DCPC might not be valid in an EU job. Application for work permit needs to be made to yhe country you want, no pan-EU one available, exchange of licence, residency, etc etc.

4

I`ve just set on an Anglo-Pole [born here to Polish parents] for another business I run, and he reckons the money is far better here than in Poland, and he keeps giving me numbers of lads he knows that want to work here or are already here but want to better their T&Cs, who are all in their 20s/30s, and they seem very keen compared to the indigenous breed :unamused:

I also work with a Polish owned haulier based in the East Midlands who constantly reminds me that there is so much opportunity here compared to “back home”, he complains about the “old” commies still running the show over there and the stifling of enterprise unlike here in the UK :open_mouth:

He also complains about the bone-idle attitude of the UK workforce, but I already knew that :laughing:

5

Stanley Mitchell:
I`ve just set on an Anglo-Pole [born here to Polish parents] for another business I run, and he reckons the money is far better here than in Poland, and he keeps giving me numbers of lads he knows that want to work here or are already here but want to better their T&Cs, who are all in their 20s/30s, and they seem very keen compared to the indigenous breed :unamused:

I also work with a Polish owned haulier based in the East Midlands who constantly reminds me that there is so much opportunity here compared to “back home”, he complains about the “old” commies still running the show over there and the stifling of enterprise unlike here in the UK :open_mouth:

He also complains about the bone-idle attitude of the UK workforce, but I already knew that :laughing:

Rubbish , I’ve worked with many poles , Romanians , Latvians etc for years , best part of 20 yrs at Newark ( maybe they wernt at Newark for 20 yrs but a good 10 yrs ) , they were the worst for refusing jobs , Newark - morr sittingbourne - Newark was cruel apparently , when he was told to just go home it then turned into racism, he was told to go home , but apparently he was told to f/off back to Poland , the t/o lad who was told him that got a final warning and the idiot got a local every night after that
This applies everywhere I go , this theyl do anything / everything whilst we don’t do anything ( brits ) is boring & ■■■■■■■■ , and I’ve seen it first hand whilst working with them , not from some bloody reclining chair in a office
I ■■■■■■■ well resent your remarks Stanley, I’ve always worked hard ( on here apparently I’m a tearass ) ,always have , always will though health is starting to
Catch up with me
If the poles are that great , than can I suggest you relocate your office bloody chair to Poland , and as for your mate he can ■■■■ of case well
It really ■■■■■■ me off foreigners coming over here
Calling us brits , who the ■■■■ do you think
You are , arrogant ■■■■■ ,then using the racist card when you get put in your place , I wouldn’t dream of going abroad & calling them & there country , yet you & you’re mates think it’s ok , I didn’t vote for brexit but I bloody would next time

M

6

Stanley Mitchell:
:

He also complains about the bone-idle attitude of the UK workforce, but I already knew that [emoji38]

Is it possible to match benefits to your desired outcomes, so that employee efforts are aligned with what the employer wants?

7

Stanley Mitchell:
He also complains about the bone-idle attitude of the UK workforce, but I already knew that :laughing:

I find that for many UK hauliers, “bone idle” translates as “unwilling to work 13-15 hour days”. :stuck_out_tongue:

8

Stanley Mitchell:
He also complains about the bone-idle attitude of the UK workforce, but I already knew that :laughing:

These sorts of coments annoy me (i realise it was a general comment compaired to other nations).

I know lots of English people that work hard and do thier best. but they go home to thier families after thier days work disgruntled because they have barly made a dent in thier morgage / rent / bills. They have seen thier collegues sitting in the laybys tossing it off for 5 hours with half the work load that takes them the same amoint of time. These people have the new cars etc etc where the hard workers have nothing.

9

cooper1203:

Stanley Mitchell:
He also complains about the bone-idle attitude of the UK workforce, but I already knew that :laughing:

These sorts of coments annoy me (i realise it was a general comment compaired to other nations).

I know lots of English people that work hard and do thier best. but they go home to thier families after thier days work disgruntled because they have barly made a dent in thier morgage / rent / bills. They have seen thier collegues sitting in the laybys tossing it off for 5 hours with half the work load that takes them the same amoint of time. These people have the new cars etc etc where the hard workers have nothing.

Got to blame the management then, which on the whole in this country is pretty poor :open_mouth:

10

Stanley Mitchell:

cooper1203:

Stanley Mitchell:
He also complains about the bone-idle attitude of the UK workforce, but I already knew that :laughing:

These sorts of coments annoy me (i realise it was a general comment compaired to other nations).

I know lots of English people that work hard and do thier best. but they go home to thier families after thier days work disgruntled because they have barly made a dent in thier morgage / rent / bills. They have seen thier collegues sitting in the laybys tossing it off for 5 hours with half the work load that takes them the same amoint of time. These people have the new cars etc etc where the hard workers have nothing.

Got to blame the management then, which on the whole in this country is pretty poor :open_mouth:

Not just management

“Once they enter the workplace, the British are among the worst idlers in the world,” “We work among the lowest hours, we retire early and our productivity is poor. Whereas Indian children aspire to be doctors or businessmen, the British are more interested in football and pop music.”

Truss, Kwarteng, Raab. Britannia Unchained.

You`re all lazy skivvers!

11

Franglais:

Stanley Mitchell:

cooper1203:

Stanley Mitchell:
He also complains about the bone-idle attitude of the UK workforce, but I already knew that :laughing:

These sorts of coments annoy me (i realise it was a general comment compaired to other nations).

I know lots of English people that work hard and do thier best. but they go home to thier families after thier days work disgruntled because they have barly made a dent in thier morgage / rent / bills. They have seen thier collegues sitting in the laybys tossing it off for 5 hours with half the work load that takes them the same amoint of time. These people have the new cars etc etc where the hard workers have nothing.

Got to blame the management then, which on the whole in this country is pretty poor :open_mouth:

Not just management

“Once they enter the workplace, the British are among the worst idlers in the world,” “We work among the lowest hours, we retire early and our productivity is poor. Whereas Indian children aspire to be doctors or businessmen, the British are more interested in football and pop music.”

Truss, Kwarteng, Raab. Britannia Unchained.

You`re all lazy skivvers!

Heres the thing. for decades there has been a massive dumbing down of the popuation. The whole ecconamy is built on smoke and mirrors with it all based on services. No-one is taught any skills anymore your told from a young age that you should aspire to work in an office pushing paper about or in the service industry. this has been going on since the 60’s with labour giving too much power to the unions.

as far as doctors and skilled jobs go you are compeating against the whole of the world for the training places. It happened to my neice when she came to apply for her plaement she couldnt get anywhere the first year because all the spaces were filled up with indian, chinese and eastern europeans. she had to repeate a year and even the second time round she had to relocate 500 miles across the country to get a placement because they were all waiting for the afore mentioned people.

Moving foward what we need to do is invest massively in education right from the age of 5 to phd level. Start investing in manufacturing and start producing raw materials that goes into british coffers and make stuff with it. instead of all this free trade crap and sending everythung abroad because its cheaper.

12

dozy:

Stanley Mitchell:
I`ve just set on an Anglo-Pole [born here to Polish parents] for another business I run, and he reckons the money is far better here than in Poland, and he keeps giving me numbers of lads he knows that want to work here or are already here but want to better their T&Cs, who are all in their 20s/30s, and they seem very keen compared to the indigenous breed :unamused:

I also work with a Polish owned haulier based in the East Midlands who constantly reminds me that there is so much opportunity here compared to “back home”, he complains about the “old” commies still running the show over there and the stifling of enterprise unlike here in the UK :open_mouth:

He also complains about the bone-idle attitude of the UK workforce, but I already knew that :laughing:

Rubbish , I’ve worked with many poles , Romanians , Latvians etc for years , best part of 20 yrs at Newark ( maybe they wernt at Newark for 20 yrs but a good 10 yrs ) , they were the worst for refusing jobs , Newark - morr sittingbourne - Newark was cruel apparently , when he was told to just go home it then turned into racism, he was told to go home , but apparently he was told to f/off back to Poland , the t/o lad who was told him that got a final warning and the idiot got a local every night after that
This applies everywhere I go , this theyl do anything / everything whilst we don’t do anything ( brits ) is boring & [zb] , and I’ve seen it first hand whilst working with them , not from some bloody reclining chair in a office
I ■■■■■■■ well resent your remarks Stanley, I’ve always worked hard ( on here apparently I’m a tearass ) ,always have , always will though health is starting to
Catch up with me
If the poles are that great , than can I suggest you relocate your office bloody chair to Poland , and as for your mate he can [zb] of case well
It really ■■■■■■ me off foreigners coming over here
Calling us brits , who the [zb] do you think
You are , arrogant [zb] ,then using the racist card when you get put in your place , I wouldn’t dream of going abroad & calling them & there country , yet you & you’re mates think it’s ok , I didn’t vote for brexit but I bloody would next time

M

Read it again FFS, and don`t shoot the messenger, where apart from a tongue in cheek comment did I say what you are saying ■■?

The truth obviously hurts regarding attitude, which does seem to be a macho default position here for some reason ?

I`ve worked with some very idle “Russians” as one senior manager used to call all “EE” drivers, to the extent that he had me rounding them up every Saturday & Sunday Afternoon at a certain coldstore very near Scunthorpe to stop them claiming a night out when they had trailers waiting to go back to base, but they were of a certain age group & largely ignorant, unlike their younger counterparts who were a lot more wordly wise [IMO]

13

Harry Monk:

Stanley Mitchell:
He also complains about the bone-idle attitude of the UK workforce, but I already knew that :laughing:

I find that for many UK hauliers, “bone idle” translates as “unwilling to work 13-15 hour days”. :stuck_out_tongue:

Spot on

14

drover:

Harry Monk:

Stanley Mitchell:
He also complains about the bone-idle attitude of the UK workforce, but I already knew that :laughing:

I find that for many UK hauliers, “bone idle” translates as “unwilling to work 13-15 hour days”. :stuck_out_tongue:

Spot on

Indeed, the emphasis being on haulier, as in hire and reward which is just about played out.
Own account type operations tend not to be run around running the drivers ragged.

15

dozy:

Stanley Mitchell:
I`ve just set on an Anglo-Pole [born here to Polish parents] for another business I run, and he reckons the money is far better here than in Poland, and he keeps giving me numbers of lads he knows that want to work here or are already here but want to better their T&Cs, who are all in their 20s/30s, and they seem very keen compared to the indigenous breed :unamused:

I also work with a Polish owned haulier based in the East Midlands who constantly reminds me that there is so much opportunity here compared to “back home”, he complains about the “old” commies still running the show over there and the stifling of enterprise unlike here in the UK :open_mouth:

He also complains about the bone-idle attitude of the UK workforce, but I already knew that :laughing:

Rubbish , I’ve worked with many poles , Romanians , Latvians etc for years , best part of 20 yrs at Newark ( maybe they wernt at Newark for 20 yrs but a good 10 yrs ) , they were the worst for refusing jobs , Newark - morr sittingbourne - Newark was cruel apparently , when he was told to just go home it then turned into racism, he was told to go home , but apparently he was told to f/off back to Poland , the t/o lad who was told him that got a final warning and the idiot got a local every night after that
This applies everywhere I go , this theyl do anything / everything whilst we don’t do anything ( brits ) is boring & [zb] , and I’ve seen it first hand whilst working with them , not from some bloody reclining chair in a office
I ■■■■■■■ well resent your remarks Stanley, I’ve always worked hard ( on here apparently I’m a tearass ) ,always have , always will though health is starting to
Catch up with me
If the poles are that great , than can I suggest you relocate your office bloody chair to Poland , and as for your mate he can [zb] of case well
It really ■■■■■■ me off foreigners coming over here
Calling us brits , who the [zb] do you think
You are , arrogant [zb] ,then using the racist card when you get put in your place , I wouldn’t dream of going abroad & calling them & there country , yet you & you’re mates think it’s ok , I didn’t vote for brexit but I bloody would next time

M

Omg…I agree with a dozy post! having said that I’ve found working with East Euros since mid 00’s once they get feet under table there as workshy as anyone

16

Topic has gone slightly off, but I will join in in a minute first

Franglais:
Canoworms comparing different countries.
Some have seemingly low pay, but have good (and tax free) allowances to make that up. Pay might be hourly, salaried, truck earnings related, whatever.
The cost of living varies, so lower pay might go further if housing is half the cost.
Tax might be higher or lower, but what does that give you? (Beware health care in the USA of course!)

[/i]

True but once you know how much you can earn you can compare the other costs.

Franglais:
And of course the elephant in the room…
since Brexit new DCPC might not be valid in an EU job. Application for work permit needs to be made to yhe country you want, no pan-EU one available, exchange of licence, residency, etc etc.

No elephants, you can exchange your DCPC card. THe DCPC aparently is part of the AETR agreement. You might, well will have to get your qualification translated before applying for a card in another country.

If it sounds as if I know what I am talking about, I don’t just something I have been told!

OK back on topic, well what has become the topic being lazy.

if companies don’t pay overtime, working nights, working weekends and £12 per hour they can’t really expect people to be going out of their way.

I used to get paid double for Sundays, time and half after eight hours, nights and Saturdays so when asked if I could do an extra run for example I would, now I don’t and when asked to do an extra run or work Sundays the answer is no thank you. Does that make me bone-idle? Although I do agency work and get around £15 ph.

It is also often the case that the people who accuse others of being lazy contribute nothing much themselves and just over estimating their contribution and in reality is no greater and often less then these of others.

17

Macski:
No elephants, you can exchange your DCPC card. THe DCPC aparently is part of the AETR agreement. You might, well will have to get your qualification translated before applying for a card in another country.

If it sounds as if I know what I am talking about, I don’t just something I have been told!

A card issued pre Brexit will probably be OK for EU haulier.
A card issued post Brexit? Not so sure.

Unless you have an EU passport, or relatives, or ■■, then residency or work permits are very different now than a couple of years ago.
Not impossible, but very awkward.

18

Franglais:

Macski:
No elephants, you can exchange your DCPC card. THe DCPC aparently is part of the AETR agreement. You might, well will have to get your qualification translated before applying for a card in another country.

If it sounds as if I know what I am talking about, I don’t just something I have been told!

A card issued pre Brexit will probably be OK for EU haulier.
A card issued post Brexit? Not so sure.

Unless you have an EU passport, or relatives, or ■■, then residency or work permits are very different now than a couple of years ago.
Not impossible, but very awkward.

You can exchange a EU DCPC or one issued in Switzerland for a UK one and I am told you can exchange a UK one too As i said the DCPC is part of the AETR agreement and the UK remains part of this.

I have a EU passport and relatives too

19

Macski:
You can exchange a EU DCPC or one issued in Switzerland for a UK one and I am told you can exchange a UK one too As i said the DCPC is part of the AETR agreement and the UK remains part of this.

In the early Brexit days the UK would exchange all EU driving licences, for UK licences, for those moving here.
That was the UK choice and not a reciprocal arrangement.
It took Spain and France several months before they chose to do so. Note, it is up to each country to choose whether or not they do so, its not an EU rule. There are different rules for UK licences obtained either before or after Brexit. I dont know whether or not that applies to DCPC cards too, but I would be wary of making assumptions.

It is up to individual countries how they treat 3rd country citizens, not up to the EU.

AETR means that a UK truck with a UK licensed driver, holding a UK DCPC, is OK all over Europe.
It doesn`t necessarily mean that the German Gov, for instance, will recognise UK training schemes post 2020 as good enough to issue a German DCPC.

I dont know the answer, but there are potential issues you would do well to check up on, in the country of your choice. Im not trying to put you down, just make you aware.

20

Franglais:

Macski:
You can exchange a EU DCPC or one issued in Switzerland for a UK one and I am told you can exchange a UK one too As i said the DCPC is part of the AETR agreement and the UK remains part of this.

In the early Brexit days the UK would exchange all EU driving licences, for UK licences, for those moving here.
That was the UK choice and not a reciprocal arrangement.
It took Spain and France several months before they chose to do so. Note, it is up to each country to choose whether or not they do so, its not an EU rule. There are different rules for UK licences obtained either before or after Brexit. I dont know whether or not that applies to DCPC cards too, but I would be wary of making assumptions.

It is up to individual countries how they treat 3rd country citizens, not up to the EU.

AETR means that a UK truck with a UK licensed driver, holding a UK DCPC, is OK all over Europe.
It doesn`t necessarily mean that the German Gov, for instance, will recognise UK training schemes post 2020 as good enough to issue a German DCPC.

I dont know the answer, but there are potential issues you would do well to check up on, in the country of your choice. Im not trying to put you down, just make you aware.

is/was the cpc different in europe then■■? i always assumed that the training ws the same all over as it was a european mandated thing. or was it another screw over the brits thing where they choose to accept any cpc card except those aquired in britain