Driver stand-downs not new, says sector

Fonterra’s decision to stand down overweight truck drivers is a much wider issue in the trucking industry, and maybe other industries also, experts say.

Fonterra said on Tuesday that some of its drivers – understood to be two – would be offered alternative duties because they were much heavier than the weight safety ratings on their driver’s seats safely allowed.

The company also said that 50 of its drivers weighed between 140 kilograms and 150kg, the seat weight maximums on its two main types of tanker.

Road Transport Forum chief executive Ken Shirley said that Fonterra’s situation was not new, and that there had been court cases in New Zealand and Australia previously over the matter.

‘‘I’ve been in the job for 10 years and throughout those 10 years, we’ve had health seminars on it ... And I put to you, too, that it’s not just our industry; it’s across the board,’’ Shirley said.

‘‘There’s all manner of jobs [in] which an employee’s performance can be severely compromised with severe obesity.’’

The dairy giant said it had been looking for some months at how to make its trucks safer, and had been talking with manufacturers about alternatives such as seatbelt extensions.

But there was a risk the belt would not perform to safety standards. The belts were not attached to the vehicle frame, as they were in cars, Fonterra’s general manager of national transport logistics, Barry Mccoll, said.

He said there was no intention to make anyone redundant, and the company was talking with the affected drivers about health programmes.

If they were unable to or chose not to lose weight, the company would offer them other work, possibly ‘‘within the depot or, indeed, upskilling them to work in manufacturing roles’’.

Angus Mcconnell, deputy secretary of the Dairy Workers Union, said it was a ‘‘very delicate situation’’ for all involved as many of the overweight drivers would have been reliable and valued workers.

At the same time, Fonterra had to comply with the law. While the union would be checking Fonterra’s interpretation, it wasn’t just a matter of fitness for the job. ‘‘This is a little bit more complex around compliance and safety.’’

However, he said: ‘‘Nobody’s employment is at risk at this point. There is a lot more to be worked through.’’

Mainfreight boss Don Braid said his company used owner-operators, so weight was not so much of an employment issue but the company still took driver health seriously.

‘‘We run healthy cafeterias in all our operations and we have a nutritionist in Auckland who works with drivers and any of our other people who might be overweight.’’

It was acknowledged that drivers faced higher health risks, as it was a sedentary job with variable hours.

New Zealand Post said it always ensured its drivers were fit enough to operate their routes safely.

‘‘To help them do this we provide a range of resources and information, so they are well supported to make healthy lifestyle choices.’’

Employment lawyer Max Whitehead suggested Fonterra was being discriminatory and the policy was ‘‘grossly unfair and in breach of New Zealand law’’.

But another employment lawyer, Susan Hornsby-geluk, said obesity was not one of the prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Human Rights Act.