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Wincanton drivers stage walk-out. David Harris reports.
Page 16
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MORE THAN 120 Wincanton drivers on contract to clothing giant Matalan staged an unofficial walk-out last week to vent their frustration at the slow pace of annual wage negotiations.
The drivers staged their protest at Wincanton's Skelmersdale depot in Lancashire.
Eddie Gaudie, the regional organiser of the GMB, which represents the drivers, says: "The strike was unofficial, but we managed to persuade them to go back to work after two or three hours.
"Basically they were having a bit of a demonstration because wage negotiations in advance of the Working Time Directive are taking longer than they would like," he adds. The drivers, who are paid on an hourly rate, have already rejected one offer from Wincanton, but another was expected to be tabled
as CM went to press. "This is the same sort of negotiation that is going on around the country. We would like to move the drivers from being paid hourly to being paid a salary, but this would involve a substantial increase in their pay,"
Gaudie says.
Some deals already done to prepare for the 'VVTD have given drivers pay increases equivalent to 36% on their hourly rates, including those at the Co-op (CM 29 April) and Biffa Waste Management (CM25 March). Wmcanton refused to comment this week on whether it would be switching its drivers from hourly
pay to salaries and would only confirm that negotiations with the Matalan drivers are continuing.
A spokesman says: "The main point we would like to make is that the walk-out last week was unofficial and therefore illegal.
"We are pleased that the drivers decided to return to work while the negotiations carry on," he concludes.