Felixstowe hauliers in 'abuse' allegations




Union says 'small number' of container hauliers breach workers' rights, meanwhile a second strike is announced at Port of Tilbury
Mike Weir
Friday, 18 May 2012

A small number of container hauliers operating out of Felixstowe have been accused by a trade union of “systematic abuse” of drivers’ working conditions.The union Unite says it may name the companies publicly following a meeting next week with UK Shadow Transport Secretary Maria Eagle.Unite alleges that three or four hauliers, most serving the country’s biggest port, are guilty of infringing the industry’s rigorous health and working time regulations. Mark Plumb, regional officer for Unite, claims infringements include excessive working hours, overloading and staff who work up to 15-hour shifts at night being denied appropriate health checks. He added: “Our members are also being encouraged to take their rest periods while their lorries are being loaded or unloaded and, in some cases, being given loads which exceed the maximum weight limit for such vehicles.“We hope Maria Eagle will raise these concerns with Transport Secretary Justine Greening, as these alleged abuses could be mirrored elsewhere in the UK.”Plumb told Lloyd’s Loading List.com he was not aware of any prosecutions and that his ultimate aim was to reach a “positive” agreement with the hauliers in question.“We understand that there are always grey areas,” he said, “but this seems quite systematic.“What’s important for me is that we engage with the companies and move this forward in a positive way, but some of them are negative about Unite and that raises concerns with us.”


Dockers at the Port of Tilbury are set to engage in a second strike over what they describe as an “attack” on their contracts.Around 45 workers at the port’s Enterprise Distribution Centre, a paper reel distribution hub, will stage a 48-hour walkout from 6am on Monday, 21 May.The previous 24-hour strike on 7-8 May was the first such action by dockers at Tilbury in Essex since 1989. Unite regional officer Jane Jeffery said: “Our members are again taking action in a bid to get the company to enter into meaningful talks – if they don’t, the strikes will continue into the summer.”The workers will picket the main gate of the Port of Tilbury over the company’s decision to introduce a “follow-the-ship” contract, which means staff work when ships are ready for unloading, rather than set shift patterns.

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