ACAS has entered into discussions with the parties involved in the tanker driver disputes.
According to the drivers union, Unite, the tanker drivers work in an increasingly “fragmented and pressurised industry where corners are being cut on safety and training in a bid to squeeze profits and win contracts”.
The union adds that the driver are not only experiencing job insecurity as a result of changing contracts, but a 'beat the clock' culture is forcing drivers to meet ever shorter delivery deadlines.
Unite Assistant General Secretary, Diana Holland, explained the dispute is not about pay, but rather about “ensuring that high safety and training standards are maintained, so that our communities are safe. It is about a simple measure, the creation of an industry-wide bargaining forum. It is about bringing fairness and stability back to an essential national industry.”
ACAS has now entered into urgent discussions with Unite and the seven contractors involved in the dispute, which include Turners, Wincanton and BP.
