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As South Yorks drivers reject lousy deal...
national action can
smash pay freeze
F
Irst South yorkshire drivers
have voted to fight on against
the company’s pay freeze.
They were set to strike this week.
But action was called off by the union
so that a new offer could be put to
members of zero percent this year
followed by 2.5 percent next year.
Workers rightly voted to reject the
deal, despite Unite recommending it.
First Bus bosses are trying to impose
a freeze on thousands of their workers
across Britain.
But they are meeting with resistance.
Around 800 drivers at First depots in
Bolton, Bury and Wigan took their sixth
day of strike action on Monday of this
week.
They were joined by 400 drivers at
depots in Essex who took their first
strike.
There is clearly a mood for a national
fight over pay at First.
There were large pickets of Unite
union members at all the striking
depots.
High stakes
This is a fight is for decent pay, but
it’s also a protest against worsening
working conditions, long hours and
increasing stress.
With ballot results due in West
Yorkshire and London, thousands more
workers could soon be joining the
action.
If South Yorkshire had accepted
the deal it would have set a dangerous
precedent.
The offer of 2.5 percent next year
and nothing this year, was the same
one accepted by workers in Aberdeen.
Workers there had a brilliant series of
one day strikes, but eventually settled
for this shoddy compromise.
First can certainly afford a pay rise.
The company made £134 million profit
last year—on the back of long hours
and low pay among its workers.
The company should be forced to pay
up—and the mood is clearly there for
a battle for decent pay, conditions and
some respect for the difficult job bus “for donkey’s years” on Wednesday of
workers do. last week, having rejected Stagecoach’s
Unite leaders should not be allowed 1.8 percent offer.
to waste this momentum. A lively picket of around 45 drivers
got great support from passing vans and
Reject the offer cars and a large group marched up to
South Yorkshire drivers’ rejection of the the town centre.
pay freeze is a huge boost to the strikes The drivers, who are members of
in Essex and Manchester, and the Unite, are angry about low pay and
campaigns for action in West Yorkshire about earning even less than Stagecoach
and London. drivers in neighbouring towns.
It puts enormous pressure on The strike clearly came as a shock to
the employers and could lead to Stagecoach bosses.
co-ordinated action by 8,000 First One manager was overheard saying,
workers. “We were sure it would be called off.
Bus strikers could unite with postal Northamptonshire don’t go on strike.”
workers who are set to start a national Well they do now.
strike, and other workers set to take Further one-day strikes are planned
action such as Yorkshire firefighters on 23 October and 2 November.
who are to strike against mass
redundancies next Monday and Friday.
Metroline, London
Stagecoach, Kettering Hundreds of bus drivers employed by
Around 100 bus drivers in Kettering, Metroline in North London have voted by
Northamptonshire, held their first strike over 95 percent to reject a new pay offer.
The offer involved a one-off payment
that would have amounted to about
troops out of £450 for an average driver, coupled
with a rise equivalent to the RPI rate of
afghanistan! inflation next year.
The deal also involved changes in
Demonstrate Saturday 24 October
Assemble 12 noon Hyde Park conditions including an attempt to
reduce the amount of notice given of
March to Trafalgar Square
The march will be led by anti-war disciplinary hearings from 7 days to just
48 hours.
military families, army veterans
and soldiers. Metroline should move to ballot for
action and link up with workers at First.
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