HL Deb 15 March 1933 vol 86 cc1180-3

THE EARL OF KINNOULL rose to draw the attention of His Majesty's Government to recent disclosures in the Press, and to move to resolve, That in the opinion of this House further legislation should be introduced to regulate the hours and conditions of employment of drivers of heavy lorries and steam wagons. The noble Earl said: My Lords, I do not think I need apologise for introducing this subject because many of your Lordships are keenly alive to all subjects relating to safety on the roads. The disclosures referred to in the Motion were made in Reynolds's Illustrated News.I mention that because I think some of your Lordships do not take that newspaper and may not have seen the disclosures. For the past three weeks this newspaper has given instances of what I can only say are the scandalous hours worked by drivers of heavy lorries— hours that can only be described as akin to slavery. Your Lordships will no doubt say: What of the Road Traffic Act, which lays down the period for which a person may be continuously driving and also the total of hours for one day? These periods are five and a-half hours and eleven hours respectively. The Act also provides that representations may be made jointly by employers and trade unions for variations. This was done in March, 1931, and with regard to goods and vehicles an extension was permitted to twelve hours on two days of the week on condition that a man was a weekly servant and had during the week a complete twenty-four hours free from duty. Experience has proved that nobody takes the slightest notice of this provision of the Act.

Some two years ago the Transport and General Workers' Union made representations to the Home Office, and the Home Office—I think Sir John Anderson was permanent Under-Secretary— said they were very sorry but they had nothing to do with it, and would the union go to the Ministry of Transport. I understand that the union representatives went to the Ministry of Transport and were then re- ferred back to the Home Office, a sort of Box and Cox affair. I would like to quote from the Record, which is the official organ of the Transport and General Workers' Union, what happened with regard to the variations two years ago. This organ states: Two years ago, after discussions with the employers, we agreed to go with them jointly to the Industrial Court and make application for variations, and as a result of these joint representations an Order was issued by the Minister varying the periods. On the employers' side was an imposing list of associations, the members of which were mainly ancillary users. We had in mind at the time that it was desirable to bring about more effective organisation in the industry, and to establish machinery which would deal with questions arising from time to time, and also agree rates; and conditions to apply to the industry. But immediately the Order for Variations had been secured from the Minister, the employers adopted the attitude that the whole business for which there had been joint consultation was completed, and no further conference took place.

I make bold to say that the hours worked to-day are absolutely scandalous. Men are required to go out with a load from one side of England to the other, to discharge the load when they arrive and to pick up another load and return immediately. No time is allowed for sleep at all. Let me quote one case. A lorry was sent from Kent to Birmingham; it arrived at Birmingham, discharged the load and immediately it picked up another and returned. That took the man 43 hours without sleep. The result was that coming through Dartford the man went to sleep at the wheel and there was a slight accident. The magistrate fined the man £ 10 10s. As he left the Court he was asked by an inspector of police if he would give evidence as to the hours of work against his employers. He agreed and was taken back into Court, but was warned by the inspector that if he did give evidence he rendered himself liable to a penalty of £ 25 for aiding and abetting his employers. Naturally the man, having been fined £ 10 10s., was not going to run that risk; and the employers will not pay these fines. The employers state that they are blackmailed by the fear of their employees giving evidence against them, but I think the boot is on the other leg, with this threat of a penalty of £ 25.

Your Lordships may ask why the men do it, but there are hundreds and thousands of drivers who are out of work and if one gets the sack to-night there are twenty-five waiting to jump into his seat to-morrow. As I said on the Second Reading of the Road Traffic (Speedometer) Bill, I visited what is called a "doss-house" near Doncaster, and I was appalled by the statements of these drivers. I was told that few of them ever averaged more than four and a-half hours per week in bed, and that by the time they reached their destination they do not get time even for meals; that on many occasions they have to munch a sandwich or something as they are driving along. Some of your Lordships no doubt know the tremendous strain caused by driving long distances. If the noble Earl, Lord Howe, was here, I am sure he would agree. I have myself done a certain amount of long-distance driving and many times I have had to pinch my ears so as to keep awake till I could find the nearest hotel. How much worse it must be on one of these slow-trundling lorries! Moreover, I had no governor to give me the sack if I did not arrive on time.

Apart from the slavery of working the men without sleep, which rather savours of the days when boys had to climb chimneys and work fifteen hours a day, I would like to appeal to the House on the grounds of safety. I know here I shall have the sympathy of large numbers of your Lordships. How can a man who is almost dropping from lack of sleep control a death-dealing machine of far more power than the private car? Think of a big lorry driver falling asleep, perhaps when he is going into London just at a rush hour; he might run into an omnibus and goodness knows how many might be killed or injured. I would like to quote a few cases of what is happening. Here is one. A man had been driving without sleep for forty-three hours and pulled up at the side of a road to have a sleep in his cab. He was found by a policeman and moved on, and the result was that a few miles off he drove into a river from which he had to be rescued by a passing motorist.

This is another case taken from the Record— it is headed "Another Firm fined for over-working a lorry driver": We would call attention to another case of a firm being prosecuted for overworking their lorry drivers. We feel that if heavy fines were imposed in all cases where the law is broken it would help to improve considerably the conditions of road transport workers.

The following report of the case is extracted from The Times, October 21, 1932: —