Petrol Hauliers threatened strike in the UK

One of the main topics for discussion here in the UK is the threatened strike by the Fuel Hauliers:
Fuel panic - Thursday 29 March | News | guardian.co.uk

Some rather inopportune governmental announcements caused quite a bit of panic with the result that petrol stations all over the UK were soon showing unpleasant results.

I confess to joining the mob and yesterday filled up my modest Toyota Yaris with un-leaded and so have 280 miles of motoring in my tank before I need to fill-up again.

Ron

 

Has anybody really any idea what the threatened strike is all about? Is it something to do with health and safety? They earn about 45,000 quid a year and they are still not happy-I am sure a lot of people wouldn't mind earning that sort of money if they had a chance.

Lesley

 

I couldn't get any fuel in London on Thurs after leaving Kew...Then I had to limp to my parents on the Kent coast. I arrived with ten miles spare and had the pleasure of paying £1.50 a litre.


Mr Johnston (a friend of a friend on FB ) has the right idea

 

I notice that the petrol stations seem to be cashing in with the demand-here in East Yorkshire they put up the price of a litre of petrol by 3pence.

Lesley

 

Has anybody really any idea what the threatened strike is all about? Is it something to do with health and safety? They earn about 45,000 quid a year and they are still not happy-I am sure a lot of people wouldn't mind earning that sort of money if they had a chance.

Lesley

Lesley,

It's nothing to do with money - what they are protesting about - and have been for 6 or 7 months now, trying to get the employer to sit around a table - is the sheer amount of hours and the number of trips they have to do in a week. The policy of 'turn and burn' is aimed at getting the maximum amount of trips to the forecourts in the minimum amount of time, resulting in tired drivers and inadequate supervision on forecourts owing to the daft hours they get there sometimes. Of course, nobody gives two hoots about such things until one of them has an accident, then we blame the driver. Note that the government have now relaxed the rules on how many hours these people can work continuously from 9 to 11, so that they can replenish the shortages caused by i) The government's own dozy mishandling of the whole affair ii) all of those dopes who have been queuing because Francis Maude told them to....

 

Brian
Its a well known fact that lorry drivers generally work a long day. I know because I am married to one. The tanker drivers do however get paid a lot of money for doing the job they do. I don't know how many hours they work a week. The government are being stupid by extending the hours drivers can work and as you say until there is an accident nobody will care. Having said that there are a lot of drivers who do break the rules and get away with it.

 

I can from my study window see Fawley Refinery and across the water Hamble where a pipeline comes ashore, night and day tankers drive from there. They drive through Hamble le Rice and Bursledon before reaching the motorways. Driving something containing enough energy to cause a disaster. I doubt very much if many drivers are earning 45 grand - that sounds like Daily Mail facts - it was suggested by a correspondent to that papers? Forum that it was ridiculous to have highly trained and 'expensive drivers'. When he asked did we last see an incident involving a tanker? The openings for money savings are endless, Southampton airport has had a few scares but no fires , so we could get rid of the fire fighters. I gave up a job in engineering for about a quarter of the money because I wanted to be an infantryman - my father refused to sign me up as a junior leader knowing that I wanted infantry -so I trained as an engineer in the aircraft industry. I did not then and I do not now understand the argument about levels of pay - would I drive tonnes of fuel around all day having to concentrate not so much on my abilities or lack of but always making allowances to stay out of the way of idiots that are allowed onto our roads. A lorry load of goods is one thing a load like that behind me - no thanks pay them what they are worth. Through here on the Hamble lane:

 

For those who push the price up , remember them and buy elsewhere when this splat is over.

 

Wills
No not Daily Mail facts-there are quite a lot of drivers earning 45 grand a year BEFORE overtime.

 

Thank you, would you pass me the link where I can look up the rates.

 

Here's a start:
Oil tanker boss holds firm amid risk of strike by drivers

The boss of Wincanton, one of Britain's biggest haulage companies, has refused to give into the "political" demands of oil tanker drivers, entrenching the stand-off that looks set to lead to strike action and possible petrol shortages.

Chris Kingshott, managing director of Wincanton's manufacturing division, told The Daily Telegraph he is "frustrated" that union bosses have encouraged petrol tanker drivers to walk out when the business pays one of the best rates in the industry. Photo: GETTY

The Somerset-based business, which employs 16,000 staff, pays its 450 drivers £45,000 a year before overtime, putting their wage rate in the top 25pc of haulage companies.
Mr Kingshott said unions seemed "intent on creating discontent when there isn't any". The other companies that face Unite strikes are Hoyer, J W Suckling, Norbert Dentressangle and Turners.

 

I concede! Thank you - I would certainly not do the job for that money but we all have our own standpoint.

Regards

Wills

 

Wills
My husband was a tanker driver about 12 years ago and his earnings were about 600 quid a week back then.
As you say, its the idiots on the roads lorry drivers have to watch out for. Whether they are transporting fuel or anything else, driving down the road with a total weight of 44 tonnes takes some doing!

Lesley

 

I did not think we had threads like this any more.

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/network-information/12846-forum-guidelines-rules.html

 

I did not think we had threads like this any more.

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/network-information/12846-forum-guidelines-rules.html

Treads about Petrol Haulage?

That means I won't be able to post the BEF's 269 Petrol Haulage Coy RASC war diary then

 

Treads about Petrol Haulage?

That means I won't be able to post the BEF's 269 Petrol Haulage Coy RASC war diary then

I had an uncle who was a tanker driver with BEF, he got back from Dunkirk OK, but I never knew about this until after his funeral, around 15 years ago now. ( I also seem to remember he had a gas mask and what I imagine (I was about 5 at the time) was a Webley revolver in the sideboard drawer!)

geoff

 

You don't happen to know the unit do you Geoff?

 

You don't happen to know the unit do you Geoff?

Sorry don't have a clue. Could ask one of his 3 sons. I know he said he abandoned his truck, before it went up, as stuff was flying everywhere. After that he was driving Manchester-London carring crates, he had no idea what was inside them. Then posted to the Med, bumped into a cousin of my dad, spent a New Years Eve in the officers mess as a guest. Cousin flew out next day, over the Med, never seen again. Family stories, where do you begin when most have passed on?

 

Treads about Petrol Haulage?

That means I won't be able to post the BEF's 269 Petrol Haulage Coy RASC war diary then

Modern strike

 

Sorry should not of posted got it wrong.