Loss of contract leaves drivers stuck with trucks

Press, 24 October 1980, Page 1

Loss of contract leaves drivers stuck with trucks

; Support.for -.two-owner-drivers who have lost their livelihood . as contractors for Brambles Burnett, has • come.; from tile Christchurch i Road Transport Association. The association represents the interests of-road cartage firms. Brambles Burnett was taken . over this year by Mogal Cora • pbration,Ltd.>' . The owner-drivers were made ■' redundant when Mogal decided to phase out the carrying work done ■; by Brambles and concentrate on freight-for-warding work. , ’Mr. E. H.' Williams/ retary of '.the association,, said that six Christchurch owner-drivers . who% had worked for Brambles had managed to transfer their.; contracts to other . com-, panies, but two had been - ; left with their-.trucks but .< no work. •

He thought ’ that- .there would he 10 owner-drivers between Wellington and Christchurch who would want Brambles to buy their expensive , trucks from them. One of' the two' ownerdrivers now : without a contract Had. ybeen, persuaded -by the company to buy an expensive specialist type of truck and. trailer unit for carrying big containers, and he was now' unable to sell it. The

driver had -raised a second mortgage- on ; his’house to buy the vehicle. The. association’s president, : Mr P,- Boyd, r said the association felt, it unfair that an owner-driver could have his contract terminated after having become involved in heavy commitments.

A meeting of the associs ation ? s ownerdriver committee decided last evening to seek a further . meeting with the management of Brambles-Mogal and ask that the company pay the owner-drivers .compensation as well as "buy the vehicles. MfeWilliams said the > committee was incensed that owner-drivers could be invited,to buy big rigs, ...then have' their contracts terminated,

■ 'Brambles’ freight-for-warding ;depot in, Ngaio Gorge;: - near Wellington, /was by-, angry owner-drivers yesterday, reports the Press Association.

“I have a 550.000 rig only .half-paid for and they; have, sacked me with no. chance of-getting other work,” said- one of the picketers,’ Mr Barry Huriwai.

The managing ’ director of Mogal, '. Mr ■ R. W. White, said from Auckland last evening that the corporation’s policy was that

where the owner-driver’s vehicle authority was tagged to Brambles, Mogal was" prepared to negotiate and make sure the ownerdriver was not:“hard done by.” Depending on the cim cumstances, Mogal was also prepared to buy back rigs or find a .buyer for them. ■ > '>?' ■

A manager would go to Wellington, on Tuesday to negotiate a 'settlement with the owner-drivers there.- . ’ : <

Mr White said that Brambles’ road '. cartage business in. Wellington and Chri stchu rch was running at a loss, and Mogal was doing its best to salvage it. It had a responsibility to about .45 .to 50 owner-drivers and about 200 union drivers.

On the question of pay? ing. compensation, ' Mr. White said that; regrettably little or no “goodwill arose from the .road car* tage business, and; in_ some cases', there were * liabilities. However, the corportion- was prepared to negotiate on. compensation, if the circumstances wars' ranted it, ‘ '

Mr White said that Mogal had arranged to have the.contracts of most of the ' owner-drivers transferred either to Mogal subsidiaries or to other road cartage com/ panies. '