RATES OF PAY AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 2024 – FREIGHTLINER LTD

To All Freightliner Ltd RMT Members

 

Our Ref: BR3/001/F

 

9^th April 2024

 

 

Dear RMT Member,

 

RATES OF PAY AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 2024 – FREIGHTLINER LTD

 

Please see the latest information on pay talks from your Regional Organiser, Daren Ireland:

 

“As your Lead Officer, I write to update you on current negotiations with your employer following submission of our claim on the 16^th November 2023 for the 1^st January 2024. So far there have been four negotiation meetings, the last being on the 19^th March 2024, with a further meeting arranged for the 9^th April 2024.

 

The company, at the meeting on the 19^th March, advised they were only able to offer a 0% increase, due to the difficult trading position in the Intermodal Sector and that any pay increase had to be linked to productivity and efficiency savings, further Freightliner Ltd may be able to table an offer of circa 2.5% but only if 10 strings were accepted, these were:

 

• * Drivers Overtime Guarantee vs. Demand - Constraint of “fixed” 10 hours day eg underuse of 10 hours and lost or going over where contract demands.
• * New LGV Drivers to move to any 5 from 7 - Introduce a new standard 5-day week, working any five days in seven, with overtime rates paid on days 6 and 7 to facilitate a future focus on retail and logistics based working patterns, improving work life balances across a 7-day working week.
• * Revision of the driver’s bonus scheme - Moving away from the accident metrics towards a scheme based upon professional, sympathetic driving and customer service including On Time Delivery to aid growth.
• * Utilise the NOC to fill rostering gaps - Buy back of 2 holiday days from Clerical & Supervisory grades entitled to legacy 12 days, increase those with 8 days to 10 days, conditional on agreement that all roster gaps due to leave being covered by the NOC before overtime offered locally.
• * New NOC employees to move to any 5 from 7 - Introduce a new standard 5-day week, working any five days in seven, with overtime rates paid on days 6 and 7 to facilitate the 24hour NOC operational cover across a 7-day working week.
• * Port MSO’s (Felixstowe) - Consolidating the grades (MSO, engineers & Train loading supervisors) into a single port grade, consolidation of the port allowance into the salaries.
• * Revised Terminal Labourer/Attendant grade - To facilitate the employment of the long-term agency staff and develop new revenue generating service: M&R, Reefer, Cargo Handling, Debagging, and Recycling activities.
• * Formal MSO Trainer Allowance - Implementation of formal MSO Trainers with an agreed fixed allowance to facilitate onsite training and skills competencies.
• * Terminal Engineers to move to any 5 from 7 - Working any five days in seven (weekends within the standard weekly hours paid at base rates) with overtime rates paid on days 6 and 7 to facilitate engineering works on Freightliner assets over the weekends whilst and improving work life balance across a 7-day working week.
• * Engineering Supervisor JD’s - Changes to the Engineering Grade D Supervisor JD to include the supervision of the local engineering team, agreeing and signing off rosters, holidays etc.

 

Clearly, the strings attached to this offer are unacceptable, and your employer was requested to table a no-strings offer, which management advised they would need to seek authority for. A further update will be provided as negotiations continue.

 

If members know of any employee not in the RMT ask them to join at www.rmt.org.uk/join

 

Current members should also ensure their membership details, including address and job titles are correct. If you need these updated, please contact RMT North West on 0151 236 3912 or email Bob Oram, Regional Administration Manager on  b.oram@rmt.org.uk

 

If you have any queries, please contact your Lead Officer, Daren Ireland on d.ireland@rmt.org.uk or 07817 037 019 or your National Business Council Representative, Robert Green on green-robert13@sky.com or 07793 914 093.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Daren Ireland

RMT Regional Organiser 

Lead Officer for Freightliner”