Driver campaign-don't run bent to Gent
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• An English ex-lorry driver is seeking urgent assistance from drivers all over Europe to help his one-man lobbying campaign of Europe's top politicians to secure "fair pay" for drivers and "fair rates" from customers.
Mike Stephen, from Gent in Belgium, says a spate of recent fatal accidents in Belgium and across Europe caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel or through overloading have got to stop and he intends to tell the European Parliament how.
"Drivers fall asleep because they are poorly paid and work long hours to make a living," he says. "We overload trucks and ask drivers
to run bent hours because our customers pay us pitiful rates." Stephen intends to write to the European Parliament as part of his campaign "Stop the rot" to secure a minimum wage for all drivers which means they do not have to drive more than 10 hours a day. He is appealing for British drivers to contact him if they want to offer support. Stephen resigned from his last driving job in Belgium after being asked to break the law: "I am committed to winning the fight, I love driving but I will not and cannot run bent."
Contact: 00 32 9 236 6272.