Rumours had been circling for months that changes were a foot in regards to Green Flag (RBS) contracts, but when area managers for Green Flag toed the party line to allay the fears of their loyal operators at the recent Tow Show in Telford, people carried on with their business.

That was until the 17th October 2011, when UK based recovery operators who had been operating Green Flag contracts, noticed a letter on their doorstep. It read, your services are no longer required.

RH Kindell of Kindel motors wrote to his area manager and said, “..I would like to say how utterly underhand and deceitful your company has been, my disgust is unending.  Green Flag (RBS) must have known many months ago what their plans were, all this on-line auction nonsense and timed delays was just a screen while you under-handedly liaised with your preferred operators, to deprive many of your loyal contractors the work that many of them relied on.

Many of these operators will have to lay off a well trained workforce with their families being affected badly, furthermore, some of these faithful companies will either go broke or cease trading, again with all the associated consequences.  How can Green Flag (RBS) give all the work to the fat cats and leave their loyal contractors in the gutter?”

He continued, “Like many hundreds of operators, giving decades of good service, Kindells were offered short term contracts, dated to bring everyone’s contract into line for this mass cull. When Green Flag were questioned about this, operators were assured that this was just to ease the tendering process. Green Flags new strategy is to issue all contracts to 14 of the largest operators throughout the country. It is expected that these companies will cherry pick the more profitable calls and expect the former loyal operators, desperate for business to stay afloat, to feed on the scraps”.

Irish operators, be very aware.