AA patrols to vote on strike call

Hundreds of drivers who work for the AA recovery service are to be balloted for strike action in a dispute over workload.

The GMB union accused the organisation of making increased demands for higher output and said sick and disabled employees were also being targeted for redundancy.

The union is already involved in a dispute with the AA over job losses but today accused the company of trying to make further savings by increasing the workload of its patrol staff.

Senior organiser Paul Maloney said: “The recovery drivers already work very long hours and are very stressed. They feel that they are now being pushed too far and will not tolerate any more demands on them.

“They have asked the GMB to organise a strike ballot to say to the AA that enough is enough.”

All 500 delegates at the union’s annual conference in Newcastle upon Tyne will tomorrow stage a protest against job losses outside the AA’s offices in the city.