The introduction of the horizontal Working lime Directive caused much
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confusion last week, according to the Road Haulage Association, Ruth Pott, head of employment affairs at the RHA, says the association received many telephone calls from members worried about the implications of the directive—namely, if operators had to start working to a 48-hour working week.
The RHA is keen to stress that the main impact will be on holiday pay. Under the terms of the directive, workers subject to EC drivers' hours rules will now be entitled to four weeks' paid annual leave, as well as health assessments if they are night workers.
"There will be a cost that employers have to bear but we have known about this for some time," says Pott.
But URN is concerned that drivers will lose out if holiday pay is calculated on an average 'guaranteed' pay—usually based on around 45 or 50 hours a week.
"We know that drivers do well in excess of this," says URTU regional officer Mike Dillingham. "So our argument is that if they have no regular hours, holiday pay should be based on the average of the last 12 weeks' work."