Union slams 11C's sacking methods
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by David Craik
• Parcels group United Carriers' decision to sack up to 70 drivers and other staff has been branded as "immoral" by Transport & General Workers Union official Maurice Britton.
The Wellingborough-based company is sacking the staff after moving away from threeday traffic to concentrate on next-day deliveries. It recently issued a profits warning after losing a major contract with computer firm Compaq.
United Carriers managing director Dave Edwards says the redundancies are "inevitable", but says a new hub in Wellingborough has created 100 mostly part-time jobs.
Britton says the company will probably be taken to an industrial tribunal: he claims that it operated a "diabolical last-in-first-out" redundancy selection procedure.
TGWU national secretary Danny Bryan describes
United's methods of changing terms and conditions and shift patterns as unacceptable and says it told workers to "take it or leave it".
A meeting of shop stewards was held on 22 February and the TGWU is contacting United to demand an urgent meeting.
Pay negotiations between the union and United are due to resume on 6 March.
I I Drivers of Scunthorpe-based Consolidated Land Services have won their demands for higher wages after strike action. By 1 October drivers will receive £4.35 an hour.