unions are not a problem to start…i wouldnt want to involve outsiders either…it would be purely a union for drivers run by drivers…so the first step would be to recruit fellow drivers from different areas of the country…north…east…west…south…the more the merrier…then of course we have to look at the current legislation in place…we have to work out a fee to join…
our objectives…whats on offer…this does take a very long process…but most importantly…how many would join…we know that we could recruit drivers who visit trucknet…but thats not proportianate…to the membership that would make a difference…we would need thousands…practically everyone who is involved in driving in this industry…and thats where it will end…for i doubt if we could raise a quarter of the bodies thats needed to bring the country to its knees in order for ministers and the public to take notice of what we are about…
hi everyone,some good ideas posted:ie drivers for drivers union.if i ever win the national lottery i swear to god i will start one, having my own run in with a union i was once in.anyway ,in my opinion there is no way any union that is now will stir the water while it pays into the coffers of a labour govt.the unions now have it so cushy having not to fight a tory govt.what is needed is to study how the french drivers and farmers use their muscle to get what they want from industrial action and copy them.if that means a sort of adhock get together through word of mouth,then so be it.imho mr tax payer is just being bulldozed over by succesive govts because we dont have the muscle of the french farmers/drivers etc to say this country belongs to the people. hope i dont sound too radical mr mi5.
don’t forget that the French drivers are in the same Union as the Police, that’s why they get away with so much.
On one Demo to Dover there was about 25 vans taken part. 1 behind each other so quite a line and at each roundabout 1 van went round, this simple but legal operation caused chaos at the Port so much that it was closed for at least 2/3 hours until we were asked politedly by the Police to move on as we had made our point.
I will say that ALL the Demos were properly organized and ALL Police Authorities whose area we passed through were notified and we had full cooperation from them.
I was told afterwards that the Police on the M8 would not let another vehicle pass the convoy.
No matter what sort of protest you make it will affect Joe Public and you will always get the ones who don’t agree with you
A couple of years ago the URTU tried to get themselves and the drivers section of the T&G amalgamated into one new, drivers union. They proposed that it would be a completely NEW union, with all officers having to compete from scratch for their posts. The T&G where totally against it. I think that they wanted the URTU to fold and automatically pass all of its members to them, to make one union for drivers that way. This was not long after those Ford drivers left T&G for not supporting them in some action, and joined URTU, so there was bad blood in the mix due to that as well.
If I remember correctly, the arguments eventually lead to the URTU being chucked out of the TUC. There where other things involved, but that proposal was the start of it.
Simon:
eventually lead to the URTU being chucked out of the TUC. .
Does that now leave URTU as weak and ineffective■■ (I’ve lost track a bit since being over here! 
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