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12 of the Working


Issue 4 2012


Felixstowe container operators breaking hours rules, says union


The Unite trade union has met with shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle on 22 May complaining that a small number of independent Felixstowe-based container hauliers are carrying out “systematic abuses” of the Working Time Directive. A delegation of drivers, members


of Unite, raised a number of concerns. Unite regional officer Mark Plumb said: “The flagrant abuses


Time


Directive include working up to 80 hours per week, every week over the regulatory period. Also, there are infringements into night time working (starting work before 4.00am) without health checks, and then followed by 15-hour days, up to three times per week.”


He added: “Members are also


being encouraged to take their rest periods while their lorries are being loaded or unloaded, and, in some cases, are being given loads which exceed the maximum weight limit for such vehicles.” Maria Eagle has since written to the Vehicle & Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and has since received a reply which is currently being “digested” said Mark Plumb. The regulations governing driver’s


rest periods and other periods when they are working but not actually driving (known as periods of availability or POAs) are complex and can be interpreted in different ways. Mark Plumb said that there was evidence that drivers were being “pressurised” to declare POAs as rest


Flying the flag


Members of the Reserve Forces working at the Port of Felixstowe swapped their regular work clothes for military uniforms to celebrate ‘Wear Your Uniform to Work Day’ on 27 June. Port reservists and their


commanding officers were invited to a special event on the dock, organised by the port in conjunction with SaBRE (Supporting


Britain’s Reservists


and Employers), involving a port tour, private lunch and a visit by an Apache helicopter. David Gledhill, chief executive


officer for Hutchison Ports (UK), which owns the Port of Felixstowe, who is himself a Lieutenant Colonel


in the Engineer and Logistics Staff Corps, said: “Uniform to Work Day provides a great opportunity to celebrate the role of the Reserves and to remind both the public and our employees the Armed Forces are made up of people from all sections of the community, from office workers to crane drivers.” Kristina Carrington, the Regional SaBRE Campaign Director, added: “The support, dedication and commitment The Port of Felixstowe gives to its employees who are members of the Reserve Forces is absolutely vital to the continuing participation of the Reserves in the UK’s defence capability.”


Transport concerns hold back exporters, says Chamber


Poor and expensive transport connections are one of the biggest barriers to exporting by UK firms, says a survey published by the British Chambers of Commerce on 10 May. The survey of just over 8,000 businesses showed that while the proportion of active exporters had surged from 22% in 2011 to 32% in the first quarter


of 2012, businesses across the country perceived the cost and quality of transport connections as a barrier among potential exporters. Concern about the poor


quality of international transport connections was highest among Scottish and Ulster businesses - 34% and 32% respectively


compared with a national average of around 20%. At the same time, a quarter of UK businesses see local transport connections as a barrier to trade, rising to a third in Scotland. Over 40% of UK businesses


cited the cost, rather than the quality, of international transport as an export barrier with the


greatest concern again seen in Scotland (48%). The BCC called on the


Government to produce a comprehensive aviation strategy for the country, free of politics and short-termism. This must address the question of alleviating the capacity shortage in south-east England..


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periods, to the employer’s advantage but potentially endangering road safety, he said. “There does seem the potential to confuse one with the other and to falsify records, to interpret the rules differently depending on whether one is an employer or an employee” he told FBJ. He said that the issues seemed to


have been going on for some time and that he presumed that there were similar issues with container hauliers based in other ports, though he had not been made specifically aware of issues in other parts of the country. He added: “Consider that a truck


driver may be on the road when you take your kids to school at 8am in the morning, and still be driving


when you take them to Grannies’ in the evening.” Unite spokesman Shaun Noble


added: “The fact that a delegation is meeting the shadow transport secretary shows the seriousness with which we regard these allegations.” At the meeting on 22 May Maria


Eagle said: “The serious concerns about working conditions and safety for all road users raised with me by heavy goods vehicle drivers must be taken seriously by both the haulage industry and ministers. I will be raising these concerns with the Department for Transport and VOSA. They must take swiſt action to investigate any practices that put the safety of both HGV drivers and other road users at risk.”


///NEWS


NEWS ROUNDUP ROAD & RAIL


The European Commission has complained that plans for digital tachographs adopted by the Council of Ministers on 26 June do not provide enough safeguards against fraud, despite this being the original aim of the new style devices. It criticised the Council for rejecting the idea of merging professional drivers’ licences with driver cards used with tachographs to store data. Ministers were however doubtful about the costs of such a move. The Commission also criticised the Council’s plans to allow member states to issue temporary driver cards, valid for up to 185 days, to drivers who do not normally reside in the EU. The Commission also said that the proposed 2018 introduction date for the new devices was too late. The European Parliament was due to adopt a first-reading report during its plenary session on 3 July.


The UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders described proposed new cabotage rules as not fit for purpose in its response to a call for feedback on the issue. It said that was essential to use non-UK hauliers to meet the surge in demand around the surge in demand when new registrations are introduced in March and September. A shortage of transporter capacity could lead to late deliveries, it said.


DHL has officially extended its day definite road service into Iraq, reports the TradeArabia News Service. The DHL Economy Select service will complement the existing airfreight and time definite services, and will serve countries across the Gulf and and Levant region with a slower transit time but without weight and size restrictions.


Ripon-based Potter Group Logistics has acquired House of James Transport of York for an undisclosed sum. The purchase of the York logistics and pallet network operator increases Potter Group’s turnover by 50% to around £22m and adds 100,000 sq. ft. of warehousing, 35 vehicles and 55 trailers. House of James’ managing director Simon Gill will remain with the combined businesses as commercial director.


Cross-Channel ferry operators are pointing out that all drivers in France – including truckers – are now required to carry disposable breathalysers in their vehicles. Under a new law that comes into force on 1 July, drivers caught without one will face a €11 fine. The breathalyser kits are available to purchase on board DFDS Seaways and P&O European ferries. The measure was due to come into force last year but was delayed due to the logistics of manufacturing and distributing millions of kits .


The European Shippers’ Council, forwarders’ organisation CLECAT and the independent rail freight companies association (ERFA) have written an open letter to Members of the European Parliament voicing their concerns over the European Commission’s proposed directive establishing a single European railway area. They argue that an efficient European railway network and freight services is impossible without separating the ownership and management of the network from the operation of services and that the current proposals will perpetuate current anti-competitive practices.


DB Schenker says that thousands of bottles of whisky are now moving from Scotland to Poland, via the new weekly London to Wroclaw rail service via the High Speed 1 rail route and the Channel Tunnel. The whisky is moved in containers by rail from central Scotland to Barking where they are transhipped to the Polish service. The cargo is being moved through a joint agreement between JG Russell and DB Schenker Rail. DB Schenker Rail plans introduce a second weekly service between the UK and Poland this autumn.


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