Hoyer tanker drivers vote against strike action

Tanker drivers working at fuel distribution firm Hoyer have voted against strike action in a re-ballot by the Unite union, with the majority of workers opting instead for action short of a strike.
In a re-ballot of 500 Hoyer drivers, which was called due to a technical error in the original ballot, 57.5% of Unite members on a turnout of 79.5% voted for action short of a strike.
Unite adds that a “significant minority” (39.2%) of drivers also voted for strike action, which it says demonstrates unease over the instability in the industry.
Hoyer, which delivers fuel for Shell, is one of six companies involved in a dispute over minimum standards for tanker drivers, along with BP, DHL, Norbert Dentressangle, Turners (Soham) and Wincanton.
Following eight days of Acas-led negotiations, tanker drivers are now voting in a national consultative ballot, with the results to be announced this Friday (11 May).
Diana Holland of Unite says: “The vote in favour of action short of a strike demonstrates that deep concerns still remain in an increasingly insecure and unstable industry. Tanker drivers face a daily race to the bottom where contracts are chopped and changed. It is in everyone’s interest to bring order to the chaos gripping a vital industry through the introduction of industry wide minimum standards.”
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