European Review Issue 34 page 7

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT HAS agreed an extension of the rules on road transport workers’ hours as well as putting in place tighter monitoring and inspection procedures.

The measures, which now have to be approved by the Council of Ministers, increase the minimum consecutive daily rest period for professional drivers from 8 to 9 hours and bring in a compulsory rest of 45 hours every 2 weeks. Coach and lorry drivers cannot drive for more than 9 hours a day, 56 hours a week (down from 74 hours) or 90 hours a fortnight. These figures include the time spent driving to and from work. On enforcement, the new law should gradually make checks more frequent from 2008 until 3% of driver days are being examined (up from 1%). However one improvement that should happen much more quickly is the introduction of digital tachographs. These models, which are harder to falsify than

Lorry drivers rest hours to be extended

the old analogue ones must be fitted by May 1st.
Greek Socialist MEP Nikolaos Sifunakis welcomed the legislation, saying: ‘Lorry drivers work to the point of exhaustion. We must give them the opportunity to drive less’. For the employers Stephen Heard, of the UK Confederation of Passenger Transport, said the law would push the price of coach tours up and that some could become unviable. Unions generally welcomed the move but said more should be done to co-ordinate the rules on driving time with those on working time. The European Transport Workers Federation (ETF) echoed fears that most bus routes would be excluded in calling for an extension to cover all professional drivers.

Ryanair at it again - this time on camera

CHANNEL 4 DOCUMENTARY MAKERS DISPATCHES HAVE confirmed that life for staff at determinedly non-union airline Ryanair can be as stressful as for some of the passengers. Having been sued by disabled travellers over the £18 charge that the company levied to lend them a wheelchair, the company now faces calls for health and safety investigations. As well as dirty planes and security lapses, the programme uncovered work practices such as 12 hour shifts without breaks with staff forced to fly when ill and pay for water drunk onboard. It was already known that Ryanair makes their workers pay for uniforms and training.
In 2004 the International Transport Workers’ Federation launched a website that allowed Ryanair workers to discuss their work without fear of reprisals from the virulently anti-union management. According to Ingo Marowsky, secretary of the ITF’s civil aviation section ‘Dispatches has helped lift the lid on the fact that in Michael O’Leary’s Ryanair frontline staff are being worked to the point of exhaustion - proving what we, trade unions and whistleblowers within the business have been saying for years…. Shocking to the viewer, but not to anyone who’s worked for Ryanair’. The GMB union called on the authorities to take action. Ed Blissett, London regional secretary, said: 'What are the authorities waiting for before they take action to ensure that Ryanair work with safety as their first aim'?

The special ITF web site dedicated to Ryanair can be found at:

http://www.ryan-be-fair.org

Good Practice awards : 7th year
THE EUROPEAN AGENCY FOR Safety and Health at Work has kicked off its seventh competition to find best practice in workplaces. In keeping with the theme of the year and the European Health and Safety Week in October, prevention measures to reduce the incidence of accidents and ill health amongst young workers will be its focus. Chambers of commerce, trade and professional organisations, trade unions, schools, colleges, education authorities and training providers are all asked to submit entries which show good management, the use of risk assessment and implementation of its findings. The winners will be invited to the closing ceremony in Bilbao, Spain in March next year.

Nominations can be sent to:

HSE, Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge
LONDON SE1 9HS
Tel: 0845-345-0055 Fax: 02920-859260
email: hseinformationservices@natbrit.com

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