June 15th 2010 Speech to Parliament - Strasbourg Plenary

Delivered by Derek Clark on 15 June 2010

Speech to Parliament Strasbourg Plenary 15th June 2010 Debate,- Organisation of working time of persons performing mobile road transport activities (ie Self Employed Drivers, why can't they just say so?) "It is essential that Amendment 30, with special regard to para 7(a), be adopted. Self employed drivers would not then be included in these provisions.

It is not a road safety issue, all drivers are limited to driving times and associated work, monitored by the tachograph. Including the self employed drivers will penalise them, especially those who do not use an agency. Company drivers have their schedules provided but true independents spend time preparing their own schedules and bidding for new business. If included in these provisions those tasks will be part of their working week so they will have less time to drive, load, unload and cater for passengers as compared to those commercially employed. Thus will business be lost and unemployment caused in the small business sector.

The big operator will take up the slack and we will have another example of the EU promoting big business at the expense of the SMEs, who employ half the work force. I therefore support the rapporteur in Amendment 30, as well as the commission in this respect, - and you don't hear that often from this part of the house".

Derek Clark MEP Strasbourg 15th June 2010