Supermarkets/Agencies taking the Micky

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
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Wondered what to make of this text I received from an agency.

I worked for them recently and spent a particularly bleak couple of weeks working at a very unpleasant Sainsbury’s depot.

It was full of petty bureaucracy and interminable paperwork that required you to provide a very detailed set of data at the beginning of every shift.

What really annoyed me was they needed you to provide all sorts of basic information such as License No. and Expiry Date, Digi card expiry, stuff like that (which they photocopy every shift start anyway) as well as hours records such as date and time of start of last weekly rest, hours since last weekly rest… all that sort of thing.

All of that data is recorded on the tacho though… which they download at the start and end of every shift.

It seems so pointless that they make drivers manually provide all this information over and over again rather than simply hold a single file on a driver. It was madness. :unamused:

The office folk would then take your answers and check them against the documents you provided and your card scan. Why not just scan them in the first place? Crazy.

It was like working in the salt mines

Of course all this copying dates and numbers, working out hours (fingers and toes out) takes some time to do. You need to get your diary out, look at your licence and digi card… unless you know all the dates and no.s off by heart of course. I don’t really want to be that familiar with my driving license number.

Its a while since I worked there but I’m still on their group text and I received this message recently.

“Hi, I have been informed by Sainsbury’s that all drivers must have all declaration paperwork completed BEFORE their start time, You are expected to be ready to drive when your shift time states. PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS TXT. Thanks”

Just incredible that they see no problem in insisting their stupid time consuming procedures, which are taking so long, should now be done on the drivers time.

Honestly. Where do they get the balls? :exclamation:

I did reply! :smiley:

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…I didn’t turn up for the assessment - once it became apparent that the whole regime is a max-cost-to-driver ■■■■-take. :angry: :wink:

Any paperwork required by the firm gets done on firm’s time - or not at all. I’m a driver not a typewriter! :sunglasses:

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That cods wallop is pretty standard fare at many sites, but as rightly said its their bullshine so they can pay for the time it takes…

Next thing they’ll only be paying from the moment you leave the depot in the lorry to the moment you return.
Please don’t anyone say that already happens somewhere, though it wouldn’t surprise me.

Oh Lord, i just want these shysters to go out of business so we can start again from scratch, without the parasites, is that too much to ask?

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Poundland has the same kind of form used to fill it in every monday and download card too AFTER I had clocked In.

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I wonder why they had to put, “please do not reply to this text”, is it because anybody in their right mind would tell them to ■■■■ right off■■?

I get paid the same if I’m writing, typing, or driving, but I do expect to be paid for all of the above if it is work related.

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Surely that’s illegal? Paperwork before starting shift is interrupting your rest period so that counts as other work. They could be on a sticky wicket there…

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Go on Looooo - post your reply and give us all a chortle! (thats if the autocensor doesnt completely erase it)

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colinr:
Surely that’s illegal? Paperwork before starting shift is interrupting your rest period so that counts as other work. They could be on a sticky wicket there…

That right there…nail and head spring to mind. It’s work related, simple. If that’s the way they want it then you should sit for a further half hour at the end of the previous shift to complete the next days paperwork. When they ask what you’ve been doing for last hour just tell them the truth. There’s bugger all they can do about it.

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Looooo:
“Hi, I have been informed by Sainsbury’s that all drivers must have all declaration paperwork completed BEFORE their start time, You are expected to be ready to drive when your shift time states. PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS TXT. Thanks”

Dear Mrs Agency Waller, No problem but it will be recorded as other work and may delay my start time as I cannot start to do it until at least 13hrs after I finished the last shift and I will be claiming from the time I put pen to paper.

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Speaking from a personal point of view I would talk
to the agency and ask if they would grease my palm
if they wanted me to do any more shifts there.

If they said no,then I would either drag the job out to
cover the time or just ask not to be sent there again.

Obviously my situation is different to other folks so if
you need the work drag it out,if you dont then just
say thanks but no thanks…they hate that. :laughing:

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Ring the ministry, get the e mail address and write am e-mail to the local TC highlighting your concerns and asking for clarification on where you stand legally. Highlighting that an ever “litigation concerned” Haulage industry is creating a paperwork and signature heavy culture in order to shirk its responsibilities onto the driver. The latest of which is this request for paperwork to be completed on staff members own time, which should be categorised another work as it particularly pertains and has a bearing on the shift you’re about to start?

You’ll probably get a big defeaning silence. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. You don"t pay vosa much but Mr Sainsburys does so it continues. The reality loads of things have been done on spare time especially self employed drivers with accounts returns to fill in. The difference I suppose is that it’s up to them if they want to declare that as other work, no one is forcing their hand. In this case the employer seems to be asking you to do tiny bits on your own time. Case in point being the DCPC has to be manually recorded as other work.

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at Dhl same .every Monday they make copy of licence.after fill paperwork and put in paperwork all licence nubers,home address.also must make everyday tacho printout and keep next 28 day and after return to company.

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Depending on your status, it is usually the agency that is operating as the employer and they are the ones that hold the legal responsibility for initially seeing your license and making sure you are sent on assignments you hold the appropriate license for.

I wouldn’t be taking my license to any contract with me, as it has my home address on there and I would not disclose that information to any client. Something about confidentiality and data protection, in this age of identity theft. Work is work and home is a completely separate place and nowt to do with strangers.

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If drivers keep accepting this crap then they will keep dishing it out. I hope the OP told them to foxtrot oscar. I certainly would’ve done. Plenty of work elsewhere.

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Im on supermarket work and the agency lads at our place dont have to do none of that crap, they come in, sign in & get it counter signed by a manager and park their arse and wait for a job

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I got banned from Asda for refusing to sign the photocopy of my licence that they produced. When I asked why I needed to sign a copy of my licence that clearly has a photo of me on it along with my signature they said it was to prove it was me and it was for legal purposes. When I challenged this and said it was a load of ■■■■■■■■ I was basically told sign it or you can’t work here, my next word was “bye”.

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Well my reply pointed out this was a good example of why I flat refused to work there. Also that any driver who WAS prepared to carry out Sainsbury’s procedures unpaid, on their own time was being exploited and ought to have a word with themselves.

Makes me cringe to think there must be people in there now going along with that.

Agree that they are asking you to perform “other work” whilst recording “rest”. Wish I’d pointed out the illegality of that too.

Sincerely hope the majority stood together and refused.

You should see their vehicle check sheet. More comprehensive than your average PMI. It included writing in the dates of

Cab service week
Trailer service week
Tail lift service week
Tax disc expiry date
Mot expiry date
Tachograph calibration date

I thought WTF!? You don’t keep records of this crap on a computer?

All just about pointing the finger at the driver if anything is later found to have lapsed.

You’d typically be in 3 or 4 vehicles per shift so were filling these in constantly.

Perhaps the most irksome was telling them which depot we were all working in FFS… twice (!) on one sheet.

Drivers really need to resist this arse covering culture.

One thing to put up with it but its another thing not even to be paid for it.

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selby newcomer:
Im on supermarket work and the agency lads at our place dont have to do none of that crap, they come in, sign in & get it counter signed by a manager and park their arse and wait for a job

That’s because TRG practically run that place and are so far up Toscos arse it’s unbelievable…

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I turned up at Swift for the first (and only) time many years ago, and they had me “take a seat” which turned out to be about a 90 minute wait.
Then someone came out with a small form and a clocking in card for me. I refused to use it on the basis that I’d be clocking in from THEN rather than 90 minutes ago.
I signed an alternative sheet “for the day” instead, but I did end up getting paid properly.

Had I “taken the card”, I was in no doubt I would have been effectively docked 90 minutes pay. Back then, that could buy a round of drinks - so it wasn’t to be sniffed at! :open_mouth:

A more efficient outfit would have a combination on the bay loaded, and with a green light with me merely to do my 15 minute checks, pull the door down, having inspected the load before departure. This would still mean setting off around half hour after I’ve booked on.

If anyone turns up for duty, and has to wait hours and hours for a vehicle just to turn up, then get unloaded, then reloaded, then you have to do your checks because you’re not given the keys whilst its on the bay with a red light etc… You could have done an entire shift before going out the gate if you’re not careful! There’s all manner of rip-offs possible with this scenario of course on agency… :frowning:

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bbc.co.uk/news/business-27046105