Petrol strike to leave motorists without fuel

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
81

truckyboy:
so when someone said it took 3 years to train as an interpreter, and then works in this industry to increase his income, because interpreters dont earn enough, shouldnt throw stones at glass houses.

When I first qualified, years ago, the wages were good, freelance work for translating and interpreting were high. (£18+ per hour for translating, £25+ for interpreting).
Now the wages are relatively low and work thin on the ground due to ‘Johnny Foreigner’ and his dog being let into this country and offering to do the work for less wages. (Even Oryfice or whatever his name is in glasgow has posted on another thread “I would do it for free”) Haulage industry same thing is happening now. Poles coming here offering to do the job for less money. Yes I know my languages are not East European but it’s the same across the board.

I’d sack the lot of the tanker drivers and replace them with Poles, they will do the job for half what the tanker drivers earn now. I reckon the Poles are all jumping up and down saying sack the lot of them, we will do it for 20 grand!! Hypocritical of me? Maybe.

This amused me:
http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=8580655
On the picture, the guy stood there with placard “Greedy Shell”
Greedy tanker drivers more like!!! :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

82

The union bod that was on sky news this morning made me laugh stating that the poor tanker driver are on the same wage that they were in 1992. Well if they are they should thank there luck stars cos in 1992 that was a hell of a lot of money. perhaps the bosses have seen the light and are now thinking that the drivers have had it good for many years and so are cutting back. as they say all good things must come too an end.

83

Ronaldo:

truckyboy:
so when someone said it took 3 years to train as an interpreter, and then works in this industry to increase his income, because interpreters dont earn enough, shouldnt throw stones at glass houses.

When I first qualified, years ago, the wages were good, freelance work for translating and interpreting were high. (£18+ per hour for translating, £25+ for interpreting).
Now the wages are relatively low and work thin on the ground due to ‘Johnny Foreigner’ and his dog being let into this country and offering to do the work for less wages. (Even Oryfice or whatever his name is in glasgow has posted on another thread “I would do it for free”) Haulage industry same thing is happening now. Poles coming here offering to do the job for less money. Yes I know my languages are not East European but it’s the same across the board.

I’d sack the lot of the tanker drivers and replace them with Poles, they will do the job for half what the tanker drivers earn now. I reckon the Poles are all jumping up and down saying sack the lot of them, we will do it for 20 grand!! Hypocritical of me? Maybe.

This amused me:
http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=8580655
On the picture, the guy stood there with placard “Greedy Shell”
Greedy tanker drivers more like!!! :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Is this sour grapes or what? Half the threads on here complain about various firms employing people on low wages and taking the work of better paid employees. Now on here when a certain group do something to try to maintain conditions most of us would aspire to all they get is criticism. Christ our shunters get paid more than some of these tanker drivers.

Maybe I should tell my boss to employ a (fill in your own nation here) for half the cash so as to keep earn him more profit ? I always imagined that generally drivers wanted better conditions, judging by some posters on here I was wrong.

Perhaps some of the contributors to this thread are directors of Shell.

84

Stanley Knife:

limeyphil:
But why are tanker drivers looked at in a different light than the rest of us. We all do the same job with different trailers.

Jealousy maybe, of the wages that they are on?

Stan

No jealousy from me. I’m on a good screw where i am. I just didn’t like what some of the spokesmen were saying on TV. I’ve pulled almost every trailer type there is just like a lot of the people on here. But the bloke on TV made it out that tanker drivers were better than other hgv drivers.

85

i heard today that the irish have told the eurocrats of brussels to stick their treaty, i for one think that is brilliant, people have stuck together and voted, and the majority have won the day.

ive been in this job 25 plus years , and ive worked for hoyer on chemical tanks, a few years ago they sent 10 drivers from huddersfield in a mini bus at midnight with the keys to the trucks at the shell oil drumming plant at elesmere port. the shell lads had been given 90 days notice and told to accept the terms or find new jobs ,they lost pensions and all their benefits , and the tossers from huddersfield all got a newer truck ,
my point is ,we sit on here moaning about how we are treated like ■■■■ ,and carry on about 13% pay rises, how many of us have seen it all before, we all know the lads at shell [HOYERS} will accept less , theyre just standing up for themselves , so instead of bloody moaning, wish them luck and stick together JUST FOR ONCE just like our friends from the emerald isle did today, rant over

86

Stanley Knife:

limeyphil:
But why are tanker drivers looked at in a different light than the rest of us. We all do the same job with different trailers.

Jealousy maybe, of the wages that they are on?

I wouldn’t imagine a take-home pay of £460- the net wage from a 32k salary- would make many truck drivers jealous.

87

No jealousy on my part, I take home about the same as the tanker drivers with 10-12hrs o/t a week which I do.

My gripe is they are “demanding a 13% pay rise”. 13% is ludicrous. If this carries on the next time the contract is up for renewal Shell will be in the boardroom with Hoyer and the other people who put in for it, DHL etc, Shell won’t look too kindly on this strike, will go against Hoyer long term.

88

I have seen various claims as to what tanker drivers earn from many sources. I also know lots of tanker drivers, many retired now.

Ronaldo thinks 13% is obscene, well I think having 2 jobs is obscene when other people are out of work. A case of “Im alright Ron”

If the drivers had asked for 3% I doubt that Shell would have said, Hang on lads, We will give you 5.5% because we think 3% is too low.

I can remember when the tanker drivers and car transporter men earned much more than drivers on general. This was eroded and the wages have balanced out to the point where a bloke tugging bog rolls around the M25 is earning as much as someone delivering petrol on his own in the dark.

At the moment it is Shell getting all the bad press by the transport industry, Well I remember in the 80’s and 90’s when the fuel companies ran their own fleets, the drivers were in the same union as the refinery workers.
The Oil Trades union negotiated the wages, The drivers then were paid a proper wage, until the fuel companies replaced them.

Esso were probably the first to get sub contractors in the North West, before Q8 and Shell, BP joined them. Shell, BP, Texaco and Esso all share the pipelines, they use the same terminals, they supply the same garages.

Hoyer are the ones getting the bad press at the moment, while Suckling is left relatively unscathed by the media.

The fuel companies are making an obscene amount of profit, but because the drivers ask for some of it Ronaldo thinks that is obscene.

Fuel prices are at an all time high throughout the whole world. Caused by speculators, inept governments, strength of the US dollar & war in the middle East.

However this tanker driver strike is a seperate issue to the price of fuel. I understand that without profits, no one would be in business or have a job, but drivers need a living wage too.

89

13% is unrealistic and it is unlikely they will get it .
If they do good luck to them , I have been thinking ADR for while now and either going on tankers down the road or bowsers at one of the local airports (BHX,EMA)…
More or less the same story here …
When the company I work for was owned by the brewery (BASS) they were on the same and maybe a little bit more 10 years ago than what we are on now.
For the local area I get paid above average being honest, taking into account what other local firms are paying.
To much media attention with this tanker strike.

90

Wheel Nut:
Ronaldo thinks 13% is obscene, well I think having 2 jobs is obscene when other people are out of work. A case of “Im alright Ron”

Yep, you’re right, to part 2 of that statement! You look after yourself in this world, erm… isn’t that exactly what the tanker drivers are doing right now!!! But it’s ok for them to do it…

My 2nd job is part time, I do the occasional translation and interpret. I like the interpretation ones because it is money for nothing. I get called to Strangeways prison a lot (3 times a month) when they get a Spanish or Catalan prisoner who [says he doesn’t] speak English. I like them because they never speak. I ask them a question and they sit there silent, always the same, they never say a word. Some of the translations are amusing, some I refuse to do. I got a CD a few weeks ago and was asked to translate the recording of a conversation on the CD from South American Spanish to English. It was a bugged conversation about drug trafficking, I said I ain’t getting involved in that!

So, do you think it obscene that many people have 2 jobs, or just me? Take for example the woman with 2 kids who has 2 or 3 cleaning jobs (our cleaner at work), is that obscene as well?? Tell her husband that who is one of our drivers. Obscene I tell you!!! It’s obscene!!

91

Ronaldo:
I’d sack the lot of the tanker drivers and replace them with Poles, they will do the job for half what the tanker drivers earn now. I reckon the Poles are all jumping up and down saying sack the lot of them, we will do it for 20 grand!! Hypocritical of me? Maybe.

This has already been tried, they took on a number of polish a few years back.

Not one of them are left, The ammount of mistake’s made, They actually cost the firm many ten’s of thousands & i’m being conservative.

Bear in mind a crossover on a forecourt if discovered before driver’s start filling up cost’s the Company £40,000 upward’s to put right.

And a hell of a lot more if you do not know you have crossed over, & the company has to pay for customer’s car’s lorries etc that need to be repaired. And would also mean instant dismissal.

Last night, Bp Manager / Technician’s were filling up the Tanker’s for there driver’s as they would not cross the picket’s. ( they are on more money & fully support our strike like ALL the other Tanker Firms )

During one the Tanker’s being loaded, there was a Gantry crossover, highly dangerous ( potentially lethal for loader & anyone else on the Gantry’s ) again & Luckily this would only cost Thousand’s to put right.

And for A Driver Technician instant dismissal.

92

Ronaldo:
My gripe is they are “demanding a 13% pay rise”. 13% is ludicrous.

Explain how it is given the fact that 13% is actually less than inflation so there fore equalls a pay cut?
Don’t quote what you earn, don’t quote what they earn just tell me why 13% is too high?

93

Good Luck to the Hoyer boys
You deserve the money like ALL HGV Drivers and your only asking for equivalant money within the Petrochem industry

Shell take the [zb] and use outside contractor to safeguard profits and can appoint another company if required but if the Tanker drivers stick together then the above becomes an expensive game to play by Shell and or Hoyer

94

dessy:
Good Luck to the Hoyer boys
You deserve the money like ALL HGV Drivers and your only asking for equivalant money within the Petrochem industry

Shell take the [zb] and use outside contractor to safeguard profits and can appoint another company if required but if the Tanker drivers stick together then the above becomes an expensive game to play by Shell and or Hoyer

Thanx Dessy, if they do try to use outside contractor’s, these have to be inducted onto BP & Texaco terminals, and then have to be passed out on loading gantries.

Our operation alone send’s out 40 odd drivers a shift for 12 hour’s & so on 24hour’s a day 7 day’s a week. Can’t see em covering that!!

ps even if hoyer lose the contract… whoever take’s over inherit’s us as there driver’s.

As did Hoyer when we were P&O

95

I must admit I find it interesting listening to all the views on this subject especially the comments from the union men and the other side of the coin the philosophers. I have been in this industry all my life as a truck mechanic, driver and now employer but I still cannot fathom the understandings of the union (please don’t take this as a criticism) I thought the glorious Maggie sorted out all this left wing Trotsky stuff back in the 80’s and things were all Rosie until now. My point is I cannot see how all this standing together in the glorious fight is going to achieve anything history has proved that all you do is alienate the general public, they don’t blame the government they blame YOU which is one of the reasons why Maggie stayed in power for so long as she became the heroine who put an end to it all. I now see history repeating itself Mr Brown has not got long to go (The Iron Lady would have sorted this faster than you could say General Belgrano) Only problem is there is no one to improve on Gordon Brown (at the moment).
So what is the answer to the immediate problem which is how do we get fuel to the stations seeing as giving in to militants is clearly not an option, the forces don’t have the resources to cope, so perhaps another option is for the Government to round up all the pickets and lock them up under the new terrorism laws only problem is the prisons are full (what a mess).

96

This is how the public view the tanker drivers and they view the rest of truck drivers in the same wayif you read all the posts

Money Supermarket Forum

97

And this is what happened in 1979 when the nasty truck drivers demanded a rise of 25% instead of 13% :wink:

Watch the Video as well

but don’t laugh too much at the 2 blokes behind the prime minister with the comb over and the tie. :stuck_out_tongue:

98

wills:

dessy:
Good Luck to the Hoyer boys
You deserve the money like ALL HGV Drivers and your only asking for equivalant money within the Petrochem industry

Shell take the [zb] and use outside contractor to safeguard profits and can appoint another company if required but if the Tanker drivers stick together then the above becomes an expensive game to play by Shell and or Hoyer

Thanx Dessy, if they do try to use outside contractor’s, these have to be inducted onto BP & Texaco terminals, and then have to be passed out on loading gantries.

Our operation alone send’s out 40 odd drivers a shift for 12 hour’s & so on 24hour’s a day 7 day’s a week. Can’t see em covering that!!

ps even if hoyer lose the contract… whoever take’s over inherit’s us as there driver’s.

As did Hoyer when we were P&O

But after 90 days the company that takes you over can do with you what they like, reduce your hours, reduce your hourly pay, cut your sickness pay etc etc so while you might be safe if someone does take the contract over, your not that safe.

99

Just looked at the link posted by wheel nut.
How can some people make comments about school teachers getting less pay than a truck driver. The amount of hours a teacher does in one week is the same as a truck driver does in 2 days.
Some of the comments on there are disgusting. They really think we are worthless second class crap.

100

limeyphil:
They really think we are worthless second class crap.

Some of us are!!