As reported by thejournal.ie haulage Company Eddie Stobart have been told to pay €5,000 in compensation to lorry drivers for breaches of the European Working Time Directive. The penalty decision was made by the Rights Commissioner after it decided against the company on three separate breaches of the act.
Acting under the remit of the Labour Relations Commission, the Rights Commissioner found that the company did not comply with rules laid down on the number of rest hours between shifts as well as adequate notification on when shifts were to commence. A SIPTU representative for the drivers said that this decision relates to 21 drivers but that it will certainly extend beyond those initially involved with 11 others already engaged in similar cases. There are upwards of 120 drivers employed by the company.
The latest decision is part of a long-running dispute between drivers and management that led to industrial action 18 months ago. SIPTU organiser Karan O’Loughlin has said that the workers “now feel vindicated in being able to prove what they had been alleging 18 months ago”. The company now have six weeks to decide if they are going to accept the findings of the Rights Commissioner or appeal it to Labour Court
