Truckies fear head-on crash with Coles and Woolies   

Date
    July 28, 2013


Truck drivers are accusing Coles and Woolworths supermarkets of compromising road safety by forcing them to meet ''ridiculous'' deadlines.      

In a submission to be handed in next week to the newly formed Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal, truck drivers will allege they have been forced to work up to 18 hours a day to meet the supermarkets' demands, causing sleep deprivation and undue stress.      

Truck driver Craig Ballinger from Serpentine in Western Australia wrote: ''It's the likes of Coles who are making the industry more dangerous for everyone.''

Mr Ballinger said he was forced to drive for 18 hours in one day to meet the deadline for Coles. ''I'm an owner-driver and I know how hard it is to say no to them when you need the work,'' he said.


Other drivers, such as 20-year veteran Bill Bihas, have levelled similar allegations against Coles' rival, Woolworths. ''You'll have 12 hours to get there, and they know that you'll not be able to sleep, but they push you,'' said Mr Bihas, from Oakleigh in Melbourne. ''They wont accept your load if you are 30 minutes late''.

The tribunal, which was established in June last year, has the power to make road safety remuneration orders as it deals with disputes in the supply chain.

The Transport Workers Union has been running a sustained campaign against Coles and its treatment of truck drivers since the tribunal was set up. But Coles and Woolworths have both rejected the drivers' and unions' claims, with Coles calling it ''yet another TWU stunt''.

According to Coles spokeswoman Anna Kelly, ''Coles does not employ transport drivers - logistics companies such as Toll and Linfox do.

''The TWU's ongoing claims about Coles are baseless and they consistently fail to produce evidence to support these claims," she said.

Linfox was unavailable for comment.

From October last year, the TWU has made seven submissions to the tribunal, all of which mention the pressures Coles allegedly puts on the union's members.

"Coles are one of the big gorillas in road transport and they are using this economic power to squeeze the life out of truck drivers,'' said national secretary of the union, Tony Sheldon.

Drivers who had not submitted statements to the tribunal, said bullying tactics were often used by Coles and Woolworths and trucking contractors such as Toll and Linfox, if they complained about inadequate pay or lack of sleep.

''You have to play the game by their rules or just not get any work,'' said truck driver Frank Black, who lives in Coopers Plains in Brisbane. ''If you don't do what they say, they will bar you from the site,'' he said. The 52-year-old driver said if he complained he was told he was easily replaceable.      

''[They say] if you're not happy with the rate we're paying you, there are plenty of others who will take it,'' he said. ''Usually that comes from the prime contractor. But it's coming indirectly from the supermarkets.''

To meet deadlines, truck drivers have been forced to ''cut corners'', whether it's dodging maintenance or not getting enough sleep to be competent on the roads, Mr Black said.

''If you're not getting paid properly you start skimping on maintenance and tyres, you might push yourself a little but more. I really feel they put the pressure on to get the job done cheaply and so they can't afford to pay us properly either.''      

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/truckies-fear-headon-crash-with-coles-and-woolies-20130727-2qr7t.html#ixzz2aHYUigca

Please open more Aldi supermarkets.      

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Aldi is not much better.

The best choice is local and fresh fruit markets.

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ian wrote on Jul 28^th, 2013 at 1:02pm:


More to the point, there wasnt an argument worth addressing in there. I choose not to put much time or effort into a response, when a simple facepalm image (its not a gif fyi) can do largely the same job, except when idiots dont get it, and you have to explain simple online vernacular to them.