Unite claims protective award

General union Unite is claiming a protective award in the Sheffield Employment Tribunal on behalf of 184 lorry drivers made redundant from the Tesco distribution contract in Doncaster.

The drivers say that logistics business Eddie Stobart Limited and Tesco agreed between themselves to make the redundancies, well before engaging in any consultation.

Commenting on the case, Unite national officer Adrian Jones explained: “Basically, our members are saying that Tesco and Stobarts colluded to sack our members, who had fought hard for terms and conditions over many years, so that they could be replaced by cheaper drivers.”

Jones added that, since then, “the company has been employing agency drivers to do exactly the same jobs as they did, but on worse terms and conditions”.

The law says that collective consultation with a recognised trade union must be sufficient and meaningful, real and not a sham. An employer that colludes to make redundancies before consulting reps is not engaging in meaningful consultation.

The drivers have been backing up their claims with a series of demonstrations. These have included a protest outside the Tesco annual general meeting in London, a silent protest outside the employment tribunal and another at the Tesco distribution centre in Doncaster where they were based.

The case has been adjourned part heard until October 2014.

www.unitetheunion.org/news/ex-tesco-drivers-stage-doncaster-demo-on-saturday