JW Suckling drivers secure 'fantastic' pay rise

Unite the union has secured an inflation-busting pay increase for tanker drivers employed on the Phillips 66 contract delivering to Jet Garages and employed by JW Suckling. The deal is worth up to £11,000 a year for the drivers based in Essex, Grangemouth and West London.

However, strike action involving Hoyer drivers based in the North West operating from the Bramhall terminal and who work on the same contract is set to take place for a week beginning on March 27, as the company has failed to enter into peace talks.

The pay deal brings the annual salaries of Unite members from £43,315 to £54,579 per year. The deal also includes improved overtime rates increasing at least 29%, bonuses increasing by a stunning 47 per cent as well as the introduction of callout payments and allowances.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “Unite has delivered this fantastic inflation-busting pay deal for JW Suckling Transport tanker drivers, negotiating an increase worth over £11,000 a year more for our members.

“Unite will always back our members when they fight for jobs, terms and conditions. The deal secured at JW Suckling Transport is another great example of a Unite win.

“It is now incumbent on Hoyer to enter into talks and begin paying its workers the same rates as all other tanker drivers on the contract. A failure to do so will result in Jet Garages across North West England swiftly running out of fuel.”

The strike action by the Hoyer tanker drivers will affect Jet Garages in an area from Staffordshire to Carlisle.

Unite regional officer Nick West who represents the JW Suckling drivers added, “The JW Suckling Transport deal is a fantastic result for Unite’s tanker drivers. It clearly demonstrates the power of being in a union and being a member of Unite. We are also pleased to have achieved pay parity for the JW Suckling drivers.”

By Barckley Sumner