UNIONS have condemned a relaxation of safety rules restricting lorry drivers’ working hours as both dangerous and pointless.

Transport and distribution unions Unite and Usdaw said that the government’s move, announced via Twitter, would not address a shortage of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers estimated at more than 75,000 – indeed, it could make the problem worse as exhaustion causes drivers to quit.

The decision to “allow” drivers temporarily to work shifts of 10 hours rather than nine, plus up to two 11-hour stints per week, from next Monday was described as a “sticking plaster” by the bosses’ Road Haulage Association (RHA).

Demanding better pay and conditions to attract new entrants, Unite national officer Adrian Jones said: “Asking an already exhausted workforce to work even longer is likely to make an already difficult situation worse.
 
“Unite will be advising its members not to place themselves in danger and that if they are too tired to drive safely they have a legal right to refuse to do so.

“Unite will fully support those who make that decision, legally and industrially.”
 
Usdaw national officer Mark Todd said: “This short-term response to the much greater problem of driver shortages is not the answer.

“The government needs to make the industry more attractive through improving employment rights and ensuring higher pay for workers.”

Ministers insisted that the relaxation of the rules “must only be used where necessary and must not compromise driver safety,” adding that further measures would be announced shortly.

Shadow transport minister Kerry McCarthy demanded that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps appear before Parliament “and explain how the government will address this driver shortage in a way that does not compromise their safety.”

RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said: “Loading more hours on to drivers that are already exhausted is not the answer. The problem needs more than just a sticking plaster.”