date: 19 February 2008

embargo: For immediate release

TUC comment on Government review of the law on lorry drivers' working time

Commenting on the Department for Transport's review of the working time regulations for heavy goods vehicle and coach drivers published today (Tuesday), TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

'This review has identified substantial abuse of the law. This must be addressed as a matter of urgency in order to keep our roads safe.

'We welcome the Government's promise to improve guidance, awareness and enforcement of the law.

'However, the Government will be making a fundamental mistake if it allows the current rules on 'periods of availability' to stand, since they are widely used by unscrupulous employers to get round the rules.

'The TUC will be seeking an urgent meeting with ministers calling on them to address this point following the review.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- The EU Road Transport Directive sets a limit of 48 hours on the working time of heavy goods vehicle and passenger coach drivers. This was implemented in the UK as the Road Transport Working Time Regulations (2005).

- In 2005, the Government agreed to review the operation of these regulations following a request from the TUC, which was worried about the degree of abuse by employers. The most significant problem concerned misuse of the waiting time provisions known in the regulations as 'periods of availability'. These periods of waiting time do not count towards the 48 hour limit on average weekly working time, so unscrupulous employers have put pressure on their drivers to record too many hours under this heading, in order to keep their long hours working practices intact.

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Press release (400 words) issued 19 Feb 2008