Drivers protest at Tesco distribution centre

97i9y3941

A group of around 25 drivers are holding an unofficial protest outside Tesco's dry goods distribution centre in Donabate in Dublin.

The drivers, who used to work directly for Tesco, are unhappy about the terms and conditions under which they recently moved to another transport company as a result of an outsourcing deal.

Around 80 drivers in total moved to the Stobart Group as part of the changes.

The row has already been the subject of talks at the Labour Relations Commission and a Labour Court recommendation.

It centres on issues including the loss of a privilege card and savings scheme, changes to pension arrangements and alleged loss of earnings.

Tesco says the action is unofficial and the centre is operating as normal.

The company has also denied that it has reneged on any of the terms of the outsourcing deal.

It is understood efforts are under way to bring to the protest to an end.
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Story from RTÉ News:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1215/tesco1.html

looks like we are racing to the bottom again as usual,typical ireland

segaBOY

Fred83 wrote: »

Story from RTÉ News:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1215/tesco1.html

looks like we are racing to the bottom again as usual,typical ireland

It's important to remember that this is unofficial action and as such I wouldn't like to comment too much on this case until we know more information.

Diarmuid

Fred83 wrote: »

looks like we are racing to the bottom again as usual,typical ireland

more like talking through it.

to elaborate, we have the second highest minimum wage in Europe. How you can describe that as racing to the bottom is beyond me.

donkey balls

segaBOY wrote: »

It's important to remember that this is unofficial action and as such I wouldn't like to comment too much on this case until we know more information.

I can give you the full story about whats happening with Stobart he took over the TOSCO Dist ctr. he pays the minimun wage to his drivers which is an insult to professional drivers. if you work shift hrs 1800-0600 you get paid an extra 1 euro work a bank holiday you get 12 euro an hour.

The Tosco employed drivers would be on more than that and with the likes of stobart paying his drivers peanuts i wonder will we see the reflection in tosco prices.(i dont think so)

Fratton Fred

donkey balls wrote: »

I can give you the full story about whats happening with Stobart he took over the TOSCO Dist ctr. he pays the minimun wage to his drivers which is an insult to professional drivers. if you work shift hrs 1800-0600 you get paid an extra 1 euro work a bank holiday you get 12 euro an hour.

The Tosco employed drivers would be on more than that and with the likes of stobart paying his drivers peanuts i wonder will we see the reflection in tosco prices.(i dont think so)

who is this TOSCO of which you speak?

If Eddie Stobart took over an existing function, then surely the drivers are covered by TUPE?

donkey balls

Fratton Fred wrote: »

who is this TOSCO of which you speak?

If Eddie Stobart took over an existing function, then surely the drivers are covered by TUPE?

Sorryabout that fred most people working within the transport industry calls tesco tosco. as for the TUPE i believe they were brought accross on that but its only a matter of time before Stobart wants that changed could you imagine two drivers doing the same work one getting paid a decent wage and the other the min wage.

Cuddlesworth

donkey balls wrote: »

Sorryabout that fred most people working within the transport industry calls tesco tosco. as for the TUPE i believe they were brought accross on that but its only a matter of time before Stobart wants that changed could you imagine two drivers doing the same work one getting paid a decent wage and the other the min wage.

Seems pretty simple, pay them both the minimum wage. If they don't like it they can find employment elsewhere as a truck driver or re-skill to a job which pays more.

segaBOY

donkey balls wrote: »

I can give you the full story about whats happening with Stobart he took over the TOSCO Dist ctr. he pays the minimun wage to his drivers which is an insult to professional drivers. if you work shift hrs 1800-0600 you get paid an extra 1 euro work a bank holiday you get 12 euro an hour.

The Tosco employed drivers would be on more than that and with the likes of stobart paying his drivers peanuts i wonder will we see the reflection in tosco prices.(i dont think so)

Thanks for your reply.

How much do Tesco drivers earn at the moment? What is shift pay and benefits currently like?

donkey balls

Hi segaboy

a guy i worked with who used to work for tesco was on about 800 euro a week that was a couple of years ago that would include shift allowance and remember they work shift mon-sun 42x7.
going from what Cuddlesworth said the whole economy should work for the min wage or even better be glad to have a job.

Fratton Fred

donkey balls wrote: »

Sorryabout that fred most people working within the transport industry calls tesco tosco. as for the TUPE i believe they were brought accross on that but its only a matter of time before Stobart wants that changed could you imagine two drivers doing the same work one getting paid a decent wage and the other the min wage.

Do Stobart employ many people over here then? I haven't seen their trucks around, or do they brand their trucks under theie customer's colours, like Tesco? Stobart's lorries are a pretty regular feature on British motorways.

This is another tough one, I feel sorry for anyone taking a pay cut, but I've had a ten per cent cut forced on me.....

The big issue though is the rediculously high minimum wage in Ireland. Stobarts employ people all over Europe and lets face it, a truck is a truck driver is a truck driver, so they can quite easily compare salaries. What's to stop Stobert's do an Irish ferries on their drivers and getting in a load of eastern europeans to take their jobs?

segaBOY

donkey balls wrote: »

Hi segaboy

a guy i worked with who used to work for tesco was on about 800 euro a week that was a couple of years ago that would include shift allowance and remember they work shift mon-sun 42x7.
going from what Cuddlesworth said the whole economy should work for the min wage or even better be glad to have a job.

Thanks for clearing that up.

donkey balls

Fred i took a 9% paycut this year and have been told that i could be getting another 2/4% cut on top of the 9% all ready enforced.

Stobart is only starting up here in Ireland you will more than likely see the truck in stobart colours while using a tesco trailer. as for doing an Irish Ferries he might do although i have been told that they dont like eastern euro,s driving due to langauge difficulties&driving abilties.

segaBOY

donkey balls wrote: »

Fred i took a 9% paycut this year and have been told that i could be getting another 2/4% cut on top of the 9% all ready enforced.

Stobart is only starting up here in Ireland you will more than likely see the truck in stobart colours while using a tesco trailer. as for doing an Irish Ferries he might do although i have been told that they dont like eastern euro,s driving due to langauge difficulties&driving abilties.

They are looking for drivers out of Dublin on their website, had a look at the application form and they want to know previous wages and if you have anything like Military Service that might limit your ability to work shifts. They're no walkovers I'd say!

erictheviking

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Seems pretty simple, pay them both the minimum wage. If they don't like it they can find employment elsewhere as a truck driver or re-skill to a job which pays more.

Holy ****e! :D
Maggie Thatcher's love child!:D
With people like this around no wonder the workers have issues!

GINA DUBLIN

Tesco outsourced the drivers to Stobart. THe drivers had absolutely no choice and were told more or less to accept it or get out !!

The drivers were protesting because of lost privileges that they had when employed by Tesco.

It went to the LRC and they (LRC) recommended that the drivers get compensated for loss of pension entitlements etc., Tesco said they couldnt afford to pay them !!!! (oh yeah and they have massive profits !!!).

Are any of our jobs safe - outsourcing is wrong and unfair !!

I hope these guys get sorted !

97i9y3941

its just something about ireland that makes it a walkover,what ever happened to pride,it died away years ago,we outsourced everything to death,except we never outsourced the gov of course...

Scottie99

Its started again, this time at the Tesco's Ballymun site, the drivers this time won't be protected by TUPE. Stobbart has been given the contract and has promised all the drivers that their T/C will be protected. The driver don't believe this because of Stobarts previous promises at other sites in the UK...........they cut wages 4 months later.:mad:

Tesco Ireland is a thing of the past, its now Tesco UK!

afatbollix

I how people in the trade.. Basicly at the start of this year stobart walked into all the truck companys and bought so many trucks I heard orders in the 1000s that the amount that they got free where sent to Ireland for tesco to under cut everyone else and get rid of every other transport company.. All they have to pay is drivers..

MrDarcy

GINA DUBLIN wrote: »

Tesco outsourced the drivers to Stobart. THe drivers had absolutely no choice and were told more or less to accept it or get out !!

The drivers were protesting because of lost privileges that they had when employed by Tesco.

It went to the LRC and they (LRC) recommended that the drivers get compensated for loss of pension entitlements etc., Tesco said they couldnt afford to pay them !!!! (oh yeah and they have massive profits !!!).

Are any of our jobs safe - outsourcing is wrong and unfair !!

I hope these guys get sorted !

We have a prob here:

(1) The minimum wage is being held up like it is some kind of a safety net or decent wage, which it of course is, FOR 1ST YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS LIVING AT HOME WITH THEIR MAMMY!

We now dispise the public servants and cossetted elite who are on 100K plus for doing absolutely sweet f*ck all, and through the process of hating the, grossly overpaid, union protected, "I can never be fired and I'll get an automatic pay increment no matter what way the ball bounces", public sector worker, we somehow want to slap the back of the man who is on the minimum wage.

Why should a professional truck driver, with kids, a mortgage, and associated bills, be expected to work for a wage that is the same as a 19 year old UCD arts student working as a lounge girl in her local pub, while living with her parents, is paid?????

MrDarcy

http://www.stobartgroup.co.uk/

MrDarcy

This thread is nearly 12 months old OP. Why didn't you start a new thread with a link of the news story instead of ploughing up a one year old thread when there is no current story in the media on this issue??? :mad::mad::mad:

Scottie99

MrDarcy wrote: »

This thread is nearly 12 months old OP. Why didn't you start a new thread with a link of the news story instead of ploughing up a one year old thread when there is no current story in the media on this issue??? :mad::mad::mad:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0914/keelings.html

Solair

These companies cut their costs but rarely cut the prices
If we had a more competitive supermarket sector, they wouldnt be so attractive wiry their suppliers as a strike would cost market share. Sadly, or supermarket sector is basically a duopoly thanks to or wonderfully incompetent government so we get high prices AND poor treatment of staff and suppliers.

Sesshoumaru

MrDarcy wrote: »

We have a prob here:

(1) The minimum wage is being held up like it is some kind of a safety net or decent wage, which it of course is, FOR 1ST YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS LIVING AT HOME WITH THEIR MAMMY!

We now dispise the public servants and cossetted elite who are on 100K plus for doing absolutely sweet f*ck all, and through the process of hating the, grossly overpaid, union protected, "I can never be fired and I'll get an automatic pay increment no matter what way the ball bounces", public sector worker, we somehow want to slap the back of the man who is on the minimum wage.

Why should a professional truck driver, with kids, a mortgage, and associated bills, be expected to work for a wage that is the same as a 19 year old UCD arts student working as a lounge girl in her local pub, while living with her parents, is paid?????

If it was difficult to become a truck driver and there weren't so many of them, then they could demand more money right? Surely this is just supply and demand?

mikemac

Unions do still have a role to play in Ireland and this is the sort of thing they should focus on.

If SIPTU are going to let their drivers jobs turn into minimum wage jobs they are pretty useless and ineffective as a union.
And maybe this has already happened.

deise blue

Diarmuid wrote: »

more like talking through it.

to elaborate, we have the second highest minimum wage in Europe. How you can describe that as racing to the bottom is beyond me.

True , we do have the second highest minimum wage inthe EC.

However the EC's statistical agency Eurostat have pointed out that when EC minimum wage level are adjusted for purchasing power within the various EC member countries then Ireland fall four places to sixth.

deise blue

deise blue wrote: »

True , we do have the second highest minimum wage inthe EC.

However the EC's statistical agency Eurostat have pointed out that when EC minimum wage level are adjusted for purchasing power within the various EC member countries then Ireland fall four places to sixth.

So the solution is to lower the cost of living.............hard to do when lenihans plan is to put a floor under property prices making rents and house prices dearer all the while increasing taxes to do so...making things doubly more expensive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWlz1IKWfw4

Cookie_Monster

Scottie99 wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0914/keelings.html

Keeling lost a contract with Tesco, how is this Tesco's fault? Another company obviously can provide the same service for less than Keelings, why shouldn't Tesco go with them? Tesco will have nothing to do with the T&C of the workers in another company.

And EDIT: Tesco trailers and Stobart cabs are what I've been seeing as the norm recently. Tesco Ireland always had many many more trailers than tractor units anyway, so I'd imagine they'll keep using the Tesco branded trailers

bamboozle

another reason for me to continue my boycott against all things Tesco.

too many Irish producers and workers have suffered at the hands of this crowd.

dunsandin

Yeah, I agree, we should all shop in Dinnes, cos there really nice.... no, hang on, maybe there not, no, no, supersquinn, no- thats wincantdon and ditto, ALL shop in Lodl... no, fairly ruthless as well..... ALDo -- nope, cut throat as well..... seems like a pattern is emerging. I have every sympathy for the drivers, etc, but you are talking about a very hard-nosed sector, with very hard nosed management who have severe pressure to cut, reduced, eliminate and contain costs to the bone. All the majors are much the same, and like with the borg, resistance is futile. Tsco are a business, as is Slobart -they are big, big players, and got that way by being tough. I know, cos I've worked as a contractor for all the above, and to me, they are tough, but once you accept that, you can deal with them. Not sure where I'm going with this, but if you are out to make money(read ;a living) being a truck driver is not a good choice, no matter how much you love trucks.

Nijmegen

MrDarcy wrote: »

Why should a professional truck driver, with kids, a mortgage, and associated bills, be expected to work for a wage that is the same as a 19 year old UCD arts student working as a lounge girl in her local pub, while living with her parents, is paid?????

Why should the free market care if he's a 19 year old student from UCD or a man with a mortgage and kids?

I agree that you pay more for experience, for poor hours, and so forth. But the minimum wage drives all other wages. If €8.65 becomes €9, the people on €15 an hour want an increase too.

We're talking about how we need to get costs down in Ireland. Well, the wages of drivers, people who stock shelves, people who pack the bread... They all drive up costs, not lower them.

But it's a chicken and egg scenario. Wages must come down for costs to come down, but people fear their wages coming down before costs. I can understand that, and the government needs to do a better job of selling the concept. As far as I've seen it, they've said "costs need to come down" and haven't gone any further to educate people about it, or ensure it can happen in a less painful manner.

But to reiterate on your point - the free market shouldn't have to pay you more because of anything other than your experience and value in the market (and a market like truck driving is, while requiring acquired skill, not the most difficult to enter.)

Cookie_Monster

bamboozle wrote: »

another reason for me to continue my boycott against all things Tesco.

too many Irish producers and workers have suffered at the hands of this crowd.

how so. The Tesco group are the largest buyer of Irish produce in the world, and you say we are better off without them??