Strike

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
21

Conor:
Being able to take a reduced daily rest at base certainly is one of the things that needs to get binned. There’s a world of difference between having a 9 off when you’re already sat in your bedroom when you park up and sat in your workplace when you wake up the following morning and having 9 off when you’ve got to knock off the commute unless you live right next door to the yard.

This^^^^ 100%. I’m sick and tired of hearing a child in the office telling me “well, you can take 9 off” and equally as sick of replying with “so can you, but you don’t you ■■■■■■ woodentop “ :imp:

22

Here’s another dimension to all this:

Mortgages have been rather cheap for some time now, unless you were an idiot 5-10 years ago, and opted for one of those 5 year fixes at what now seems a daft high rate of over 2%.

SO… If we assume that most people’s mortgages to be paid are LESS than 2%, then the repayments will be very cheap, permitting and allowing one to take an easier, but lower-paid job than one might have to put up with otherwise.

The Bank of England - keeps making noises about the “interest rate is about to climb sharply - any minute now - honest!” to entice people into taking fixed rate products that are more expensive than those mortgages left to float.

If we take the BoE at their word, then YES you must surely jump at the chance to take a lower-paid, longer-houred job “to keep that mortgage paid” and the so-called peace of mind that goes with it…

But what if you can manage on less cash right now?

…You could be offered a job paying between £100 and £500 per week and say "No thanks, I’m better off staying on the £250 per week I’m on now - for working just two shifts, instead of 5-6-5-6 month on end for only double that takehome pay…

Thus, in turning down work - THAT is what I suggest - actually pushes the rates higher, at least on agency…

Among full timers - you don’t get to decide “No thanks guv, I fancy a day off today” or “The phone will stop rininging if you get too fussy”, since as a full timer - you are obliged to work what hours are on your contract!

My suggestion to agency drivers then: “Be more fussy, sit more days out”.
My suggestion to full timers - "If you don’t like to work so many hours/work for such low pay - then
Vote with your Feet - before someone else takes your job away from you.
:bulb:

23

Anyone any clue what the actual mission statement of this supposed strike might be, assuming there is a purpose to all this and not just to show how important we are to the distribution of goods.

Unless there’s a proper plan and end game in sight all we’d do is antagonise an already anti lorry public and increase calls for immigrants already licenced to drive large vehicles to be allowed in.

By all means if you’re negotiating better terms and conditions then strike action must always be a last resort possibility (that aired possibility is why we don’t and won’t have driver facing cameras), but there has to be a purpose, i’ll re-iterate once again, don’t be too keen to jack in a perfectly decent job to chase some temporary high agency rates, better to form a union and negotiate sensible writ in stone terms for permanent jobs whilst things are difficult for the industry re driver supply and you have a stronger bargaining position.

24

It isn’t “Striking” that is needed, rather just a “work to rule 40 hour week” - from Full Timers.

Agencies - are in command right now unless and until Full Timers decide to do something about it, other than just going out of their way to drop agency in the crapper for their own misgivings all the time.

Full Timers that leave and then come back as agency, not for the firm (who often won’t have them…) but for their RIVAL firm - will make this a rather short action required.

“Pay us more, or we’ll work for your competitors, who’ll promptly offer us improved Temp to Perm deals with the result that those firms that can afford - go on to prosper, those that cannot - go under.”

It is the firms with the best balance sheets then - that stand to end up cornering this market.

Haulage yards that think by “owning an in-house agency” is the answer - will find quickly that if the hourly rates don’t match, and in fact the Yard merely uses the in-house agency to “race to the bottom” all over again - will be the first to feel the pinch, when even offering £50 bonuses to sign up with said agency/yard - doesn’t entice drivers to go and do just that…

There’s no need any more.
There’s work-a-plenty, and it is an casual rather than agency driver’s market now.

My phone has been ringing off the hook this past week, but I’m holding out for the job I want at the rate I want - no compromise.

I’ve learned to manage on “no work for weeks at a time” this past year, so if anyone feels the need to leapfrog me into that low-paid job with crappy T&Cs - feel free.

What am I holding out for?

Agency Hourly Rate - but with a cast iron full time contract with a proper full timer’s hours (35-48 tops) not this rubbish where you get rolled up holiday pay and/or “overtime” built into the base contract… 55 contracted base hours seems commonplace these days. Not much room for extra earnings from overtime there - is there?

25

Juddian:
Anyone any clue what the actual mission statement of this supposed strike might be, assuming there is a purpose to all this and not just to show how important we are to the distribution of goods.

Unless there’s a proper plan and end game in sight all we’d do is antagonise an already anti lorry public and increase calls for immigrants already licenced to drive large vehicles to be allowed in.

Those were also my thoughts - that the employers themselves, or the continuity Remainers they are in cahoots with, might be organising this “show of force” precisely to scare the Tory government into opening up the borders again.

There needs to be much better and clearer organisation, and a set of demands that must be met, before executing a strike.

By all means if you’re negotiating better terms and conditions then strike action must always be a last resort possibility (that aired possibility is why we don’t and won’t have driver facing cameras), but there has to be a purpose, i’ll re-iterate once again, don’t be too keen to jack in a perfectly decent job to chase some temporary high agency rates, better to form a union and negotiate sensible writ in stone terms for permanent jobs whilst things are difficult for the industry re driver supply and you have a stronger bargaining position.

Agreed!

26

I think the only thing we can agree on is this is going to fail as even on here there’s a difference to support/Not support.

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27

I don’t think a typical pointy shoes with the attitude “if he/she won’t do it, I’ll get someone else” is going to have a sea change in his/her attitude from a one day strike observed by a few drivers. The thoughts will probably be on how much the other drivers that are in will have to do to cover the runs. There would also be a few cards being marked knowing what some of these places are like.

Similarly, the culture at a couple of multinational supply chain companies I can think of isn’t going to change overnight. The runs are deliberately planned unrealistically and that is something that goes back years and years. The culture won’t change until most of their drivers have walked out the door, which to be honest is looking more and more likely as time goes by.

As other people have mentioned it isn’t particularly great having folks in the transport office with little transport experience. There is a lot to be said for staffing the offices with ex drivers. Parachuting youngsters in isn’t fair on them or the drivers that have to deal with them.

28

edd1974:
All this pingdemic doesn’t apply to us the government hav moved the goalposts…
If your a critical.key worker you don’t have to isolate just take a daily test .
All a.joke

Personally yes I’d like a nice pay rise.
But I’d be happy to settle.for.better.condtions and extra 5 days holiday anytime as 20 days.is.nothing really.
Give me.25 days and I’d be happy

The statutory minimum holiday entitlement is 5.6 multiplied by the number of days you work. So if you work 5 days a week you are entitled by statute law to 28 days.

29

JeffA:
36 grand basic, time and half after 8 and 25 days hol.

36 lol if you’re 60+ and just waiting to retire and or live in the East/NE might be ok

30

Estoic:
The statutory minimum holiday entitlement is 5.6 multiplied by the number of days you work. So if you work 5 days a week you are entitled by statute law to 28 days.

Where’s that from?

Can’t be that statutory as most offer 20 days

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31

Noremac:
As other people have mentioned it isn’t particularly great having folks in the transport office with little transport experience. There is a lot to be said for staffing the offices with ex drivers. Parachuting youngsters in isn’t fair on them or the drivers that have to deal with them.

I often find that ex drivers can be some of the most vindictive and spiteful ones around. Nkt to mention they seem to be extremely forgetful…

I do agree that a lack of knowledge within office roles is a factor too. Anyone involved in transport/planning should at the very least demonstrate knowledge of and attend training in things like drivers hours etc. My planners know the basics but beyond that… not much…

32

dcgpx:

Estoic:
The statutory minimum holiday entitlement is 5.6 multiplied by the number of days you work. So if you work 5 days a week you are entitled by statute law to 28 days.

Where’s that from?

Can’t be that statutory as most offer 20 days

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20 days holiday

Plus

8 days bank holiday.

33

Joined the Facebook page of the organisers of this attempt at a strike. I quickly removed myself. Pointless.

34

dcgpx:

Estoic:
The statutory minimum holiday entitlement is 5.6 multiplied by the number of days you work. So if you work 5 days a week you are entitled by statute law to 28 days.

Where’s that from?

Can’t be that statutory as most offer 20 days

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gov.uk/holiday-entitlement-rights
Normally 8 bank holidays per year. So, the twenty you say are offered plus 8 equals the 28 days, or 5 times five paid day weeks, plus 3 days or 5.6 weeks.

35

Beaten to it by Toonsy.

36

The drivers wanting a strike might be best waiting until the wages start falling again as they will do as soon as people start getting trained thinking they can earn big money

37

DCPCFML:
99% of drivers are all mouth and no trousers. See Barrie Tozer.

This pearler from Rob K, the man who has had more handles on here than most people have had jobs and who has failed to hold down employment with pretty much all of the minimum wage plus 5% general haulage merchants in the Leeds area.

:laughing:

38

toonsy:

dcgpx:

Estoic:
The statutory minimum holiday entitlement is 5.6 multiplied by the number of days you work. So if you work 5 days a week you are entitled by statute law to 28 days.

Where’s that from?

Can’t be that statutory as most offer 20 days

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20 days holiday

Plus

8 days bank holiday.

Maybe for the M-Fr lot.

I do 4/4 so if a Bank Hol comes up it’s a normal day.

Want it off I have to take hol out of my 20.

My days working give me 19.6 hence 20 but I still don’t get 8 bank hols extra

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39

I get 29 days, and i work Saturday to Wednesday , so bank holidays are paid at OT rate, but if Bank holiday falls on my rest day nothing extra.

dcgpx:

toonsy:

dcgpx:

Estoic:
The statutory minimum holiday entitlement is 5.6 multiplied by the number of days you work. So if you work 5 days a week you are entitled by statute law to 28 days.

Where’s that from?

Can’t be that statutory as most offer 20 days

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

20 days holiday

Plus

8 days bank holiday.

Maybe for the M-Fr lot.

I do 4/4 so if a Bank Hol comes up it’s a normal day.

Want it off I have to take hol out of my 20.

My days working give me 19.6 hence 20 but I still don’t get 8 bank hols extra

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

40

Winseer:
It isn’t “Striking” that is needed, rather just a “work to rule 40 hour week” - from Full Timers.

You’ve more chance of platting fog. For every driver who is happy with the earnings from a 40 hour week, there is a tramper who needs 78 hours a week just to pay off the interest on their debts every week. That is why you’ll never unite drivers and achieve any solidarity, ergo strikes are a waste of time.