News

The Transport and General Workers' Union

07 November 2007

The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) is the largest union involved in the road transport sector. The T&G represents truck and van drivers and other transport staff, such as warehousing workers. Trade unions such as the T&G protect and represent the interests of their members, offering collective bargaining on pay, conditions, health and safety and other employment related issues. On 1 May 2007 the T&G merged with public sector union Amicus to form Unite.

The T&G – or the T&G section of Unite as it is now – has 140,000 commercial transport workers in its membership, 80,000 of whom are lorry and van drivers. Unite has two million members in total, an annual income of £150m and represent workers across transport, aviation, print, manufacturing, farming, food and public services. Truck and vans drivers join 200,000 transport workers, including passenger transport and airline staff, but the Road transport (commercial) sector is by far the largest. The T&G/Unite has 10 regions, with seven in the UK following the boundaries of the Regional Development Agencies.

T&G campaigns for truck and van drivers

The Commercial Vehicle Driver’s Charter represents key issues in the road transport sector on which the T&G is fighting. It includes:

Working Time Directive: average of a 48-hour working week with no loss of earnings and good pension and sickness schemes;
£10.72 per hour minimum for all lorry drivers;
Good health and safety standards (with focus on Corporate killing legislation);
The Driver shortage;
Drivers' facilities: overnight accommodation, proper washing and toilet facilities, and so on;
Vocational training for all;
Effective enforcement of all LGV regulations;
Full industry consultation involving the Road Haulage Association, the Freight Transport Association and the T&G;
The 4Ps Campaign focuses on pay, professionalism, pensions and productivity;
Fatigue kills aims to educate employers about the dangers of overworked or tired drivers;
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea: This campaign aims to highlight the risks of undetected sleep disorders which can cause dangerous fatigue.

Being a union truck driver

In the UK workers have the right to union representation if the majority of the workforce wants it. Contact the appropriate union for you – such as the T&G – and they will guide you through the process in which at least 40% of the staff must vote on the issue and most of those must want representation. Following a successful ballot many employers recognise the union voluntarily – if not, the T&G will pursue it through legal process.

The T&G says unionised truck drivers tend to have better pay and better conditions, plus protection from any abuse of power or your rights by your employer. Unions offer collective bargaining and legal representation. If you are thinking of joining a union truck drivers’ forums can be useful for first hand accounts of unionisation and the role of the T&G.

Which operators recognise the T&G?

The T&G organises across many companies and sectors. Key road transport operations include:

For an example of union disputes in the real world look up the recent T&G negotiations with Tesco.

Why did the T&G merge?

Despite New Labour’s reversal of Margaret Thatcher’s anti-union legislation, the T&G has seen a decline in unionisation across the UK and Ireland. Quite simply, fewer people are joining unions. In an attempt to stem this decline T&G has an aggressive growth strategy. Joining with Amicus was just the start. It also has a 100% membership campaign and is trying to rally the shop steward movement throughout Great Britain.