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RUNNING ON EMPTY: The implications of non-standard work in the New Zealand Trucking industry Clare Tedestedt George and Ronny Tedestedt.

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Presentation on theme: "RUNNING ON EMPTY: The implications of non-standard work in the New Zealand Trucking industry Clare Tedestedt George and Ronny Tedestedt."— Presentation transcript:

1 RUNNING ON EMPTY: The implications of non-standard work in the New Zealand Trucking industry Clare Tedestedt George and Ronny Tedestedt

2 OUTLINE: Trucking industry in New Zealand An outline of the problem Individual focus Systems Approach NZ Trucking Industry as a case study

3 THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY IN NEW ZEALAND ▪ Most common mode of choice when transporting goods ▪ Domestic freight said to grow by 75 percent between 2006 and 2030 ▪ Companies compelled to use road freight because of customers’ demands ▪ Trucks transport between 80 to 90 percent of NZ’s total domestic freight ▪ 23,000 people or about 1.5 percent of the workforce are directly working in road freight with a further 15,000 indirectly employed ▪ Contributes 1.4 percent of economic activity and is even higher in smaller towns ▪ Major employer and creator of job opportunities ▪ Road freight largely made up of locally-based, family-owned and run businesses

4 AN OUTLINE OF THE PROBLEM: Poor safety record Poor health among drivers Well-being concerns for the drivers and their families

5 INDIVIDUAL FOCUS ▪ Accidents occur and the driver is often blamed ▪ Drivers often take responsibility for their own actions as well as the conditions of the truck and the road ▪ Prevention in this area has often taken a narrow focus ▪ For example Ergonomics, Bio-medical, Psychological etc. ▪ Important to acknowledge contributing disciplines ▪ Systemic factors are often overlooked  A wider perspective may help us to better understand the problem

6 SYSTEMS APPROACH In order to fully grasp the problem and shift the focus from the individual (driver) we need to look beyond the symptoms of fatigue, speeding, and driving infringements

7 SYSTEM’S APPROACH A system’s approach allows us to recognise and consider many elements of the work system and their interconnectedness including the organisation of work, restrictive employment practices, and pay structures A variation of the model in : Tappin, Bentley, Vitalis (2008)

8 GROWTH OF NON-STANDARD WORK ▪ Shift from stable/permanent working arrangements to non- standard arrangements ▪ Reduced down to core competencies and other work is outsourced ▪ Employer driven flexibility; they set the conditions ▪ Response to competitive pressures associated with labour market reforms ▪ Most often found in industries with fragmented work practices and complex supply chains ▪ Shifts the risk onto the worker, the individual

9 LEGAL IMPLICATIONS ▪ Current OHS legislation in NZ covers employees, not contractors ▪ Health, safety and well-being is being outsourced from the principal to the contractor ▪ De facto employee but de juris contractor not covered

10 EMPLOYEE VS CONTRACTOR Employee ▪ Contract of services (i.e. hiring an employee) ▪ Relationship found in typical employment, which is based on a Master-Servant relationship ▪ Contract regulated by employment law ▪ Collective action through unions seen as legitimate Contractor Contract for services (i.e. hiring a self-employed or independent contractor) Relationship where the principal and contractor are seen as equals Contract regulated by civil law Legal and practical obstacles to join a trade union and bargaining collectively

11 NZ TRUCKING INDUSTRY ▪ Trucking Industry epitomises changes to working arrangements ▪ Approximately 70 percent of the trucking industry in New Zealand are contractors or owner drivers ▪ Many who were once employed are now re-hired as contractors ▪ Drivers have ongoing uncertainty, fluctuation in wages, and irregular hours ▪ Principals have unilateral power to make changes to payment structures, routes, termination rights, capital investment ▪ Signing of contracts that effectively require them to breach traffic laws Inadequate pay leads to unsafe practices ▪ Reward system is linked to low quotations and speed of completion

12 Maybe we need to look at this as a systemic failure whereby the nature of the contract provides further explanation for the high numbers of accidents and poor OHS outcomes for drivers

13 THANK YOU


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