Cemex driver pay dispute threatens site shutdown

Construction at thousands of UK sites could come to a standstill next month as all 700 of Cemex's concrete mixer owner-drivers threaten industrial action.

The threat comes as an ongoing row over pay and poor service levels comes to a head.

Last week, Mick Binns, who represents around half of the owner-drivers, sent a letter to Cemex UK president Ignacio Ortiz, in which he complained that drivers were leaving "in unprecedented numbers", because they were not being paid correctly or on time.

He told CJ: "Not to put too fine a point on it the company's in a mess. The owner-drivers who deliver all this concrete are pulling their hair out. I have written to the president of the UK company, taking issue with all the problems I have raised over the last 18 months, none of which have been remedied."

In the letter, Binns warned Ortiz that the drivers would take industrial action in September if problems with their money and paperwork are not corrected by the end of this month.

The news piles on the pressure for the Mexican-owned concrete supplier, just two weeks after it was revealed in CJ that there was widespread customer dissatisfaction with Cemex's restructuring programme.

The programme has seen the closure of local shipping offices in favour of seven regional call centres, as well as the gradual introduction of a new computer system called 'Ginco'.

In light of the most recent criticisms from owner-drivers, a Cemex spokeswoman said that the company is working closely with them to resolve the issue of payment "as quickly as possible" and would deal with their concerns on an individual basis.

Meanwhile, she admitted that the firm's reorganisation had experienced "teething problems", but said it would "offer customers and suppliers a first class service with consistently high quality materials" in the long term. She added that Ginco was part of Cemex's global system and offered "improved stock control and less wasteage".

The comments were consistent with the company's line two weeks ago, when CJ approached Cemex with complaints from customers. At that time, a spokeswoman said that she was unaware of any supply problems.

But in an email this week, one Cemex owner-driver said: "I am absolutely flabbergasted that the Cemex spokeswoman is unaware of supply problems. She obviously doesn't work for the same Cemex that I do and have been for 20 years."

The source told CJ that Ginco has contributed to higher levels of waste. He said some estimates among staff put wastage as high as 2,000m3 in one month.

Meanwhile, another owner-driver claimed 50 loads had to be dumped in Birmingham in March when Ginco was introduced there. A second alleged that £6,000-worth of the material was wasted in Oxfordshire in just one month thanks to the new system.

"Despite being told by several other large concrete suppliers that it doesn't work, Cemex has insisted on installing this new computer system," one of the owner-drivers said.