It will soon be five years since the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005 came into force.
RHA Employment Affairs Director, Ruth Pott says that large numbers of employers introduced their workforce agreements in April 2005 or soon afterwards and that these agreements are only valid for five years. Therefore, the terms of the agreement need to be renegotiated with the workers concerned.
Agreements were negotiated and secured between employers and employees when the regulations were introduced as a means of introducing some flexibility into specific operations. In general, employers and workers can agree to extend the reference period for the average 48 hour working time limit up to a maximum of 26 weeks and agree whether this will be monitored using a fixed or rolling method and be used to exceed the 10 hour limit for night work.
“Don’t delay the renewal of these agreements”, continued Pott. “They are absolutely essential to the efficient operation of your business and any members who need help or advice should contact their RHA regional office where staff will be happy to help”.
