Drivers working 15-hour days are putting their health at risk, with the trade union GMB calling for an end to the “normalisation” of 12-to-15-hour shifts, writes Peter Brown.
At the GMB Congress, delegates heard that multi-drop delivery drivers are routinely expected to work excessive hours, putting their health and safety at risk through increased fatigue, stress and road danger.
Instead, GMB is proposing the adoption of a 10-hour working day. HGV driver and GMB delegate Flaviu Andrea said: “Excessive working days of 12 to 15 hours are dangerous, yet they have become normalised across multi-drop logistics.
“A driver who has been awake for 17 hours has twice the normal collision risk.
“Fatigue is not a choice or an individual failing. It is a predictable outcome of long hours, night work, and inadequate recovery time.
“The length of the working day is determined less by driving time and more by inefficiency, as drivers routinely lose hours waiting to load or tip, and dealing with unrealistic route plans.
“GMB is calling for the adoption of a maximum 10-hour working day with no loss of pay.
“This proposal is grounded in putting safety before profit and passing accountability onto employers to fix broken systems rather than exploiting labour.”
