If you work for a company that operates its own transport fleet, and they decide to put transport out for tender, how does TUPE work. Do you get redundancy from your current employer, and TUPE over, or just TUPE’d over if you want to keep your job ?. I’m curious how it works…
If I remember right when I took the job with the MOD, all the pre existing civil service drivers could join the new private company and keep their old contracts (TUPE) and I think the new company had to honour the existing contacts for a year, after that they would have to agree to the new contracts or bugger off. Needless to say the old pedantic bunch weren’t happy and soon ■■■■■■ off. I think it was something along those lines.
Where I work the transport side was taken over By DHL. Drivers / warehouse staff were TUPE’d and then asked if they wanted redundancy. All but about 4 accepted due to length of service as DHL were given the redundancy money by the previous company as part of the deal, so not sure if they are obliged to offer you redundancy or not as technically you still have the same job, just a different boss. Whatever you do make sure you involve the union if you are in one as our old drivers got well and truly shafted wages wise.
NickW:
Where I work the transport side was taken over By DHL. Drivers / warehouse staff were TUPE’d and then asked if they wanted redundancy. All but about 4 accepted due to length of service as DHL were given the redundancy money by the previous company as part of the deal, so not sure if they are obliged to offer you redundancy or not as technically you still have the same job, just a different boss. Whatever you do make sure you involve the union if you are in one as our old drivers got well and truly shafted wages wise.
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Thanks for your help on this subject, I’m not saying its going to happen, but all the signs are there as far as I’m concerned, won’t spend no money on transport, no commitment to any fleet or trailer replacement, doe’s this ring alarm bells with anyone who’s gone through this sort of thing. Its not as if the company is struggling, we’re busy enough, and there’s no money worries, far as the rest of the company is concerned, it’s just transport, we just seem to be a burden to them at the moment…
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If I remember rightly our company were promised a £5 million saving over 5 years. We had about 40 trailers and 20 units or there about. all fit for a heap. Now DHL came in and bought in 6 new Volvos (one was rolled on the M5 after 2 days) and have ordered some new trailers. They inherited our old units but not sure on ownership of the trailers. They just scrapped 12 old units last week, a few 51 plate axors / actros some MANs and a few old Stralis. Since they came in service to our factory has nose dived. Most of the senior management have now left / will be leaving shortly.
They seem to be willing to invest in new kit but to the detriment of the old staff. They also now get through drivers like you wouldn’t believe.
We knew they were going to get the contract eventually as they used to bid for it year after year even though it wasn’t out to tender.
NickW:
If I remember rightly our company were promised a £5 million saving over 5 years. We had about 40 trailers and 20 units or there about. all fit for a heap. Now DHL came in and bought in 6 new Volvos (one was rolled on the M5 after 2 days) and have ordered some new trailers. They inherited our old units but not sure on ownership of the trailers. They just scrapped 12 old units last week, a few 51 plate axors / actros some MANs and a few old Stralis. Since they came in service to our factory has nose dived. Most of the senior management have now left / will be leaving shortly.
They seem to be willing to invest in new kit but to the detriment of the old staff. They also now get through drivers like you wouldn’t believe.
We knew they were going to get the contract eventually as they used to bid for it year after year even though it wasn’t out to tender.
Thanks Nick, I’m not saying its going to happen, but you never know, I like the bit about service to the factory taking a nosedive, because that’s exactly what I think would happen, cheers chap…
No worries. Our night shunter is one of the ones that stayed, If you’ve got any more specific questions I can always ask him about a few bits.
Service wise we always used to prioritise trailers for loading on site before sending out trunks, however now they priorities trucks as they have agency drivers coming in to do them and can’t get them to do other work on site if no trunk is there. in our busy period We can have 20 trailer loads stacked up waiting for trailers. Doesn’t sound like much but for a small site like us it can be a killer.
NickW:
No worries. Our night shunter is one of the ones that stayed, If you’ve got any more specific questions I can always ask him about a few bits.Service wise we always used to prioritise trailers for loading on site before sending out trunks, however now they priorities trucks as they have agency drivers coming in to do them and can’t get them to do other work on site if no trunk is there. in our busy period We can have 20 trailer loads stacked up waiting for trailers. Doesn’t sound like much but for a small site like us it can be a killer.
I think giving that service is invaluable to the company, we are only a phone call away every day, it happens all the time, diverted to collect raw materials, that they’ve realised they have ran out off. Customer rings up, we can respond immediately, no matter where it is uk/ europe. Would they get this service without there own transport, I personally don’t think so, or if they did it would be at a tremendous cost…
If you’re not in the Union then you’re on your own every time.
The management and their stoolies will tell you want they want to you to know, but never in writing, it’ll be hearsay and innuendo to ‘encourage’ you to take whatever actions save THEM money.
Get yourselves organised and form a union now.
Every single job in this country thats worth having (not talking small fleets where everything is personal) is unionised.
Could you imagine this question being asked on a train drivers forum now that First (or whatever they are called) are going to take over from Virgin…not on your nelly, those lads stick togther and the union fights their corner, thats why they are happy to pay their union subs and thats why they earn £40 to £50k for a 39 hour week and we don’t.
Could you imagine this question being asked on a train drivers forum now that First (or whatever they are called) are going to take over from Virgin…not on your nelly, those lads stick togther and the union fights their corner, thats why they are happy to pay their union subs and thats why they earn £40 to £50k for a 39 hour week and we don’t
train drivers could easily find them selves with what 1000, 2000+ ton payload, they earn good money for sure but isn’t it a bit ‘‘different’’?, I was a vitim of tupe, trunk driver on dhl, the union just rolled over and played dead to save jobs, sometimes even they are ‘‘handstied’’, (gmb)
Juddian:
Get yourselves organised and form a union now. That’s why they are happy to pay their union subs and thats why they earn £40 to £50k for a 39 hour week and we don’t.
never a true word spoken juddian 
Come to Esl Trafford park! 
all unionised = yellow bellys 
they pay subs, then don’t use the union when they get final written warnings 
how very strange! 
rwg1951:
train drivers could easily find them selves with what 1000, 2000+ ton payload, they earn good money for sure but isn’t it a bit ‘‘different’’?, I was a vitim of tupe, trunk driver on dhl, the union just rolled over and played dead to save jobs, sometimes even they are ‘‘handstied’’, (gmb)
Different but no more difficult to do the job competently, they don’t have to cope with the public and other numpties, lucky them.
Unlike the train job lorry driving has been dumbed down in so many ways, a two week course on Jack Spot’s driving school and a test pass means a qualified professional driver…only as we know it doesn’t, it takes years, and some, despite doing the job for ever, will never be a lorry driver as long as they have a hole in their arse.
Fatboy slimslow:
Juddian:
Get yourselves organised and form a union now. That’s why they are happy to pay their union subs and thats why they earn £40 to £50k for a 39 hour week and we don’t.never a true word spoken juddian
Come to Esl Trafford park!
Unfortunately it happens that for a variety of reasons the wrong bloke gets elected as shop steward, feathering his own and his merry core supporters nests at the expense of the majority, seen that in several places, but when union is good and run well, as it was on the transporters, with rare exceptions, then all benefit.
I don’t about ESL Trafford, seems kinda odd.
we got tupe’d over and kept our pay and conditions for a year then we had a review and we were all offered either redundancy or reapply for our jobs with the added benefit of reduced leave and less money or keep the same money but work an extra 3 hours a week for it not great but a jobs a job and it pays the mortgage ect.
Be careful with all this tupe bs, I’ve seen one example where the drivers were offered to transfer over to the co that took over, first day of work were turned away & told that their services were no longer required as their own could cover-no payout no nothing, bye bye… 
Pimpdaddy:
Be careful with all this tupe bs, I’ve seen one example where the drivers were offered to transfer over to the co that took over, first day of work were turned away & told that their services were no longer required as their own could cover-no payout no nothing, bye bye…
At our place the drivers were all contemplating redundancy when the agency that were supposed to be taking over came in to talk with them all and advised them to sign up with them and take the redundancy as they would have them back in the next day with them. Guess what, none of them were needed or wanted! In all fairness most just wanted the redundancy anyway but still a bit of a kick in the teeth.
got tupe over to wincanton a few years back, nothing changed much( at first) lost a few drivers straight off just would’nt work for them, no offer of redundacies though, got loads more paper work/ health saftey mad/ change start times/moved to differant sites, back in house again now, just tupe back.
Tupe back on what, more or less £££ than before?
If i was being tupe’d over to firms like wincanton I’d leave too…
I’m a london bus driver and we lose/gain routes that involve TUPE all the time.
Remember that TUPE is exactly what it says, transfer under previous employment, so, in theory, you should get exactly the same terms and conditions. However, it very rarely works out that way.
Our union, UNITE are clueless when it comes to TUPE, and just seem to roll over.
I can tell you now, it’s a complete minefield!