July/August Issue 62 - Flipbook - Page 32
NEWS
FIER D’ETRE DEPANNEUR
During lockdown AVRO have
continued our dialogue with our
recovery association partners in
France.
Following our transparent data
sharing exercise, you may recall
that FIER D’ETRE DEPANNEUR
revealed that French recovery
operators achieve nearly 2.5 more
what UK recovery operators earn
for similar statutory recovery jobs.
This striking difference in earnings
has been very helpful in highlighting
the plight of AVRO members that are
trying to sustain their businesses to November 2021. We are hoping
with pay rates that were fixed over for the Bill to gain Royal Consent (be
a decade ago.
enacted) at the end of November
2021. HO will be consulting AVRO
The headline rate is only the tip of on the charges – more news will
the iceberg - it has become common follow soon.
practice by the authorities to ignore
the advice given by the minister at
WHAT IS THE FIER D’ETRE
the time the legislation was passed DEPANNEUR ASSOCIATION?
and disseminate the fees collected
to subsidise their funding and The association was born from
introduce management companies, three business leaders, recovery
rather than pay the statutory fees operators themselves, in 2012, who
direct to the recovery operators.
implemented the project. One of
these three business leaders, Luc
To that end, AVRO have continued Le Baron, has been President of the
lobbying the Home Office (HO) and association since its inception.
have received positive feedback.
HOW MANY MEMBERS DOES
HO have introduced a provision in
FIER D’ETRE DEPANNEUR
the Police, Crime, Sentencing and
HAVE?
Courts Bill to clarify the primary
legislation for the police to charge for At the last count, around 450
the removal of abandoned vehicles registered members have paid for a
or those causing an obstruction.
membership, but it should be noted
that the association’s Facebook
This will also enable a review of the page brings together almost 3,000
current fees and meet the police people, directly or indirectly linked
concerns about the provision of to the world of recovery.
this service from police recovery
operators.
WHY JOIN FIER D’ETRE
DEPANNEUR ASSOCIATION?
The Bill will pass through the
commons from March – to June, The philosophy is to restore the
then through the Lords from June – image of a profession, whose image
32
is too often negative. The goal is
to get the public to see recovery
operators not as wheel clampers
(it’s not the same job), but as
organisations able to assist in times
of trouble, who provide support and
assistance to road users.
WHAT ARE THE MOST
NOTABLE ACTIONS OF THE
FIER D’ETRE DEPANNEUR
ASSOCIATION?
From the first year, the association
organised a gathering of recovery
operators, with a parade.
In order for this gathering to build
motivation, in addition to bringing
together passionate professionals,
it was decided to raise funds for
charity.
The association is also very aware
of safety issues on the road, in
particular for responders, whether
they are recovery operators,
patrollers, firefighters or police.
This is how they have just obtained
the implementation of the Safety
Corridor, which will be a new article
of the Highway Code. Other securityrelated actions will be taken in the
future. (Continued overleaf)
