Hi guys,
Just want some clarification/common sense before I go to my union at work.
I work for a reasonable sized company, general staff drive liveried vans/pickups management/ fixed site staff have company cars.
Last month my pick-up was equipped with a black box telemetry unit, we were told that these units were designed to only monitor our driving for insurance and safety.
Que this morning I have received an email from a random manager stating the following:
* I have repeatedly done 60mph on nsl roads, my pickup is registered as a dual purpose vehicle so has same speed limits as a car.
* engine was switched on and van moved on the weekend when not on call, had to move van off drive for delivery. Literally moved it 10 yards.
* van was sat idling on site for 4 hours, said site has no power supply and was charging all my test equipment and laptop.
* van wasn’t started or moved till 9 am yesterday, I am contracted 8-4 but previous day had done a 16 hour shift, which my boss lets us have a relaxed early morning start the next day.
The knob has said he will be forwarding this information to my line manager and network engineering.
Pretty sure none of the above is in the agreed scope of the original installation bar the speed in the nsl.
Also got a bitchy reply back when I asked if the company cars have had telemetry boxes fitted, as these are under the same insurance and aren’t limited.
Questioning whether to go to my union about this?
Any suggestions
I don’t know enough about what your company do, or what Union you’re in, but this kind of reminds me about years and years back, when tachographs were first introduced into HGVs.
I was driving an oil tanker for the biggest lubricating oil producers on the planet, and we drivers were called to a meeting with the management and some technical bods, who told us that tachographs were definitely coming.
It was patently obvious to we drivers, that here endeth the good times, of filling in our own log sheets, and getting away with blue murder.
e.g., when working away from home, getting up around 08.00, having breakfast in the hotel, then strolling down to the truck, and starting work at maybe 09.30-09.45, but entering 07.00 start on the log sheet.
Or being given four days to truck 4800 gallons of oil to a site some 330 miles from the depot and back, involving three nights lodging away payment, then driving all the way there in one day, discharging the oil, and checking into a small hotel.
Next day, drive all the way back, put the truck in a car park, have two days at home, before picking up the truck and returning to base, handing in a completely fabricated four days log sheets, good times.
Our shop steward was at the meeting, and we asked him if there was anything that could be done to stop this, he said, “No guys, I’m in the same boat, it’s called progress, and even if we strike, we’re not going to stop it, it’s coming in everywhere, we’ll just have to bite the bullet.”
Naturally, being resourceful, we found tiny ways to get around it, but they never lasted for long, and guys began to get fired when caught, and we had to accept that the job would never be the same again.
That was my cue to do “The Knowledge” and become a Black Cab driver.
Good luck Abraxaz1.
