"Unfair and immoral" to make drivers pay for training, Unite insists

The Unite union has added its support to the review of the Driver CPC announced by the government this week and said employers should be made to pay for the training.

Following on from positive reactions from the RHA and Logistics UK to the Department for Transport’s plan to look at how the qualification might be updated, Unite said it was “entirely immoral” for HGV drivers to cough up for it.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The government has listened to Unite’s concerns and has at long last moved to reform the CPC rules, which are blatantly unfair to professional drivers.

“The CPC must be fully reformed and employers must be required to pay for the training.”

Although details of the review are currently sparse, Unite said it wanted to see CPC training undertaken during work time, with employers not only footing the bill for the courses, but also paying the worker while the training is undertaken.

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It said it also wanted to see all CPC modules be industry and job specific and that there should be an assessment at the end of each one to ensure drivers have fully understood them.

Adrian Jones, Unite national officer, said: “Unite has set out a clear path of the steps needed to reform the lorry driving sector to make it attractive to workers.

“If the reforms to the CPC are to be effective and embraced by drivers then it is absolutely essential that drivers themselves, or their representatives, are fully engaged in the process.”

Announcing the sweeping review, transport secretary Grant Shapps said: “We understand it’s vital for drivers to remain fully qualified – but we’re looking to ensure they can do so in the most efficient way possible whilst maintaining road safety standards.

“No driver should be out of pocket or out of work through no fault of their own.”