Sharp ■ Informed ■ Challenging
NEWS INSIDE Time to sell?
EV Cargo rumours abound
Directors make a move Expect Distribution buyout
Vox pop
New year resolutions
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OPERATORS INSIDE Asda............................................................p14 DX Group.......................................................P3 EV Cargo ....................................................... p3 EV Downton................................................... p3 Expect Distribution........................................ p4 Hellmann Worldwide....................................p18 Hermes........................................................p14 Menzies .......................................................p10 Ocado ..........................................................p14 Owens Group................................................. p4 Royal Mail....................................................p14 Reed Boardall ............................................... p4 Warburtons .................................................p14
STAGING A COMEBACK: Brian Yeardley Continental is rising phoenix-like from near collapse after seeing its turnover plummet by 60% during the Covid-19 pandemic. MD Kevin Hopper told MT that its events transport division, TRUCKINGBY Brian Yeardley, had a full order book of live events lined up for 2022, while its newly formed UK cargo division had landed a number of major contracts and its European general cargo division was also seeing an uplift in business after Brexit. The turnaround comes just over a year after Brian Yeardley Continental was forced to enter a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) after TRUCKINGBY Brian Yeardley saw turnover plummet from £12m to £780,000 in 2020 as the impact of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic saw hundreds
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of events across the UK and Europe cancelled. Hopper said he was frequently moved to tears by the support the company received. “Ninety four percent of our creditors supported the CVA
because they had worked with us for years and they recognised that if it wasn’t for Covid-19 we would not have been in this position. So they stood by us, which was very moving,” he said.
Sainsbury’s raises rates to minimum of £10 an hour, while Plymouth adds £3k to binmen’s salary
HGV drivers win new pay deals By Chris Tindall
Photo: Shutterstock
HGV drivers working for Sainsbury’s and council refuse collectors are the latest to secure significant salary increases as industry pay and conditions come under increasing scrutiny. Sainsbury’s drivers are to see their pay rise to up to £11.50 an hour in recognition of their “extraordinary work”, while the regrading of HGV drivers working for Plymouth City Council from unskilled to semi-skilled workers has added £3,000 to their salaries. Simon Roberts, Sainsbury’s chief executive, said it would increase its basic hourly rate for all staff, including those working for Argos, to £10 an hour. Groceries Online drivers will receive £11.50 an hour and Argos Fast Track Delivery drivers will get £11 per hour, on a base rate of £10 per hour plus an extra £1, up from 75p. The supermarket said it believed the enhanced pay would help it recruit and retain “the best talent”. The new rates of pay represent a £100m investment by Sainsbury’s
in its staff and will come into effect from 6 March. Roberts said: “To kick off the new year, I am pleased that one of the first things we are doing is investing in our colleagues and lifting our basic hourly rate of pay to £10. “We are making this significant investment to show our colleagues how much we value the brilliant job they do for our customers every day.”
Meanwhile, the £3,000 pay rise for 46 HGV drivers working on Plymouth City Council refuse collections has been described as “groundbreaking” by the Unite union. It added that the move to reclassify drivers should also act as a “wake-up call” for councils across the country if they want to continue offering a fully functioning bin collection service. Unite regional officer Tim
Morris said: “I would like to thank lead Unite rep Sharon Battishill and the shop stewards who focused on increasing the pay grade and amending the job role to gain this welcome uplift for the members. If you are driving an £80,000 vehicle, that is a highly responsible job which has now been recognised. “What has been achieved at Plymouth City Council shows that by acting collectively, local authority drivers can be regraded onto decent pay levels – and this could be a template for members at other local authorities.” A Plymouth City Council spokesman commented: “We can confirm that after a review we have re-evaluated the roles of our HGV drivers. “The move from frontline status to semi-professional recognises not only the driving aspect of the job, but also their broader responsibilities around public and crew safety.” Unite said the renegotiated job classifications and pay increases applied from 1 January.
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