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First bus drivers to strike on Friday

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Published Date: 04 July 2009
By Richard Marsden
FIRST bus drivers in South Yorkshire have voted to hold a one-day strike on Friday after management rejected their "outrageous" claims for improved pay and benefits.
Trade union Unite has asked for a package that First claim would add 28 per cent to the company's payroll - but bosses say they cannot afford any wage rise at all.

First say they are offering last-ditch talks in an attempt to avoid the walk-out which will affect all of their routes in South Yorkshire throughout Friday. Discussions are taking place with Unite about whether drivers will continue to operate school contract services.

Unite is demanding a 10 per cent increase in drivers' hourly pay - currently £9.13 for those who have completed 18 months' service - to bring South Yorkshire in line with other First subsidiaries such as Leeds, where the rate is £10.

The union also wants First to offer double pay for overtime, currently paid at the standard rate, and for drivers to be able to retire at 50 instead of 65, with no loss of benefits.

First's deputy managing director Brandon Jones said the demands were unreasonable in the current economic climate.

Just over half of First's 1,400 bus drivers took part in the ballot for industrial action, with 605 voting in favour and 178 against.

Mr Jones said: "We are disappointed that a Unite Union ballot has ended with only 44 per cent of driving staff voting for a strike that will now potentially cause severe disruption to the people of South Yorkshire.

"Unite is showing an extremely blinkered view with its outrageous 28 per cent pay claim at a time when businesses locally and nationally are facing difficult economic conditions.

"The consequences of Unite's actions in calling for a strike are that everyone loses. People struggle to get to work, children cannot get to school and shops and retailers have fewer customers.

"This also has a significant effect on our business, which may impact on all jobs including drivers' in the future."

He added: "RPI, the index for price increases, is currently running at -1 per cent. We are not asking for pay cuts or even job cuts from our bus driving staff.

"This year we are asking our drivers to join us all and earn this year what they earned last year.

"This is a very reasonable salary for drivers who can earn up to £30k per year in addition to a package of benefits including a contributory pension scheme, generous holiday entitlement, additional learning and training opportunities and Buy As You Earn and Save As You Earn schemes.

"The ballot result has not changed our position - there remains no available money to fund a pay increase."

He urged the union to join them at ACAS, the industrial mediation service, to try to find a compromise to avoid strike action.

Steve Clark, branch secretary of Unite, said First, which made £122 million nationally and a small profit at its South Yorkshire arm in 2008/9, should be able to afford a pay rise for drivers.

He admitted First drivers are better-paid than at rival Stagecoach but he said some who have only recently joined the company were "having to live on the breadline", with introductory hourly wages of between £6 and £7 per hour.

First is facing two other possible strike ballots by Unite over disciplinary procedure in Sheffield and separate county-wide disputes over holiday pay and staff night buses.

The company, which is facing a slump in passengers due to the recession, has offered drivers a slightly better pay deal by changing the way additional payments are made for non-driving time, currently paid separately from the hourly rate.

By paying staff normal wages for the time instead, it would automatically be subject to any future pay increases, which is not currently the case.


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  • Last Updated: 05 July 2009 11:32 AM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Sheffield
 
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mrspeppard,

real world 04/07/2009 11:49:11
i do sympathize with the drivers but they should be lucky that in this day and age they have a job and are still being paid overtime. The company my husband works at as lost over 45 staff. The remaining staff are left to pick up the work. My husband no longer gets paid overtime despite working even longer hours.
The rate of pay at First is not bad even if it is lower than in Leeds. that is something that wants sorting. To pay Leeds bus drivers 87p more is not fair
2

Darnall Resident,

04/07/2009 12:04:32
Bus drivers, take a long hard look at the country today and think about your actions. Then look behind you for the line of people willing to take your job!
First Management, start putting the paying customer first then see people wanting to use buses and maybe then money will be available for the good bus drivers who realise where their wages are from.
3

Handsworth,

04/07/2009 12:25:28
Must make a note in my diary to go to town on Friday. It will be pleasant not having to cope with buses all over the place. I do not suppose any of them have given a slight thought to the state the country is in and the fact that the buses gives them a wage every week. But thats the story today by so many people, grab grab grab
4

CadburyFlake,

04/07/2009 12:32:26
That's nice. Looks like I'll have to drive to work now - and will I get compensation from my FirstMonth ticket? I doubt it. So much for trying to get people out of their cars!
5

hillsbroguy,

sheffield 04/07/2009 13:47:36
what a suprise, the public are once again standing by the very people who work hard to give them a service. just because the country is in a financial mess thanks to the bent polititions doesnt mean that employees who still have a job should be allowed to be bullyed and backed into a corner by their employers. i feel sorry for the people out there who have lost their jobs but its not fair to take it out on those who still have a job.
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Mjb66,

04/07/2009 13:48:37
Trade unions again.
Remember the 70s and 80s and remember prescott with his leave your car at home better public transport policy,Thanks a lot for that one.
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signofthetimes,

south yorkshire 04/07/2009 15:04:15
As a bus driver with First i am totally ashamed to be going on strike. We are not well paid but it is acceptable. My colleagues and the union think the public will be behind us but i fear they are sadly mistaken. At least we have a job to go to everyday. I for one am totally behind the management this time. But the unions as usual want to make trouble for everybody.
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woodseats neil,

04/07/2009 15:35:51
Why are we asked for our opinions on a bus strike, but we are not 'allowed' to put our opinions on the 'gang' shooting ?.

I'd be very interested if a member of the Star staff could please advise.
9

Handsworth,

04/07/2009 16:12:24
Thank you signofthetimes What you say says it all. I wrote to this column days ago saying that in many of these strikes it is the Unions who are pushing for a strike. AsI mentioned then, in all the strikes most of the workers come out of it badly, but the Union officials have their jobs and lose nothing moneywise. I often quote Arthur Scargill. He brought out the Miners. They suffered terrible losses and he even set father against son and brother against brother. He lost nothing. He had a much smaller Union but got more money and lived in a lovely bungalow. In oldern times the Unions were necessary for the protection of the workforse but now they cause mayhem and achieve nothing. As for thinking the public are behind them I think they are kidding themselves. They will cause problems for people who are having a job to meet their debts and in some cases a husband out of work and wondering if he will ever work again.
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flockyowl,

04/07/2009 18:14:10
As a bus driver i am telling you now that what the management are telling you lot is blatant lies.Personally
i dont care whether you believe them or not,but what i do know is this .do you really think we can earn £30.000 a year at 9.13 an hour,you do the maths.The job is almost fully staffed with all the foriegn labour.so even if we could get the overtime which we cant ,cos they keep cutting your services,we still wouldnt be able to earn it,and if we did put in 68 hours every week every year-well think about accidents on the increase,cos we are working ourselves into an early grave. All we are asking for is a pay rise from a company that has made £130 million profit in the bus industry alone not counting rail and the U S ,and wants to buy National express out,instead of building this business uop they keep on cutting to increase profits for their shareholders and the staff and public are suffering. As for the Union what is wrong with having someone try to protect ordinary people rights like ourselves,(and you).
The union have been slow to act actually .its took months of pressure from staff to get them to pull their fingers out,finally all across the country somthing is happening .No i dont want to go on strike
and i dont know of any driver that has asked for anything like the ridiculous amount that has been quoted,but like anything when you negotiate you ask for more and the find middle ground,but this company is taking advantage of the credit crunch to say there's nowt at all ,hoping to to gain the moral high ground.We are not asking for a lot so dont let them con you.
I dont want to sound like scargill,but the only way ordinary people can fight back and protect their jobs is to stand together.If we didnt the we would all be turning up for work with conditions similar to Mcdonald workers.The management would love it,and im not talking about the transport industry,ordinary workers everywhere.UNITE!








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