Bill
Morris, General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers’ Union, has
called on transport employers and their organisations to work with the union in
a bid to improve the recruitment and retention of drivers and transport
workers.
Morris
said the long hours and low-pay culture in transport has been allowed to remain
for too long.
"The
transport industry – whether it is public transport or the haulage industry –
is now facing real problems in recruiting and keeping drivers, in
particular," he said.
"We
need a sea change in attitudes within the whole industry to ensure there is a
viable future. That means the road haulage industry has to work with its
clients so they understand the pressures. It means the bus operators need to
look long and hard at why it is they have so many vacancies and why so many
leave the industry never to return.
"We
are ready and willing to work with the employers and, indeed government and
local authorities, to ensure we have a common approach."
