Justice for pay day for London's bus drivers
1st May 2009
Submission day for London’s bus drivers
Unite, the UK’s biggest bus workers union, is stepping up its
campaign to ensure every one of London's 20 bus operators agrees to
a system of agreeing pay and conditions for the capitals'
drivers.
In its submission to the 20 London bus operators, the union will
press for central wage bargaining and for bus companies to abide by
the principle of equal pay for equal work. Unite says both measures
are essential to bring fairness and stability to an industry where
rates of pay can vary by as much as £7,000 per annum.
Last year saw bitter pay disputes as thousands of bus drivers
fought for one common rate of pay for the identical work that they
perform within the Transport for London (TfL) network. But with the
money to fund wages, pensions and facilities coming from one
central TfL pot Unite is asking why all the bus drivers cannot be
paid the same.
Unite is pressing for the central bargaining arrangements that
serve both the workers and businesses of other industries such as
print, construction and a large part of the public sector.
Peter Kavanagh, Unite regional industrial organiser, said: "What
we are trying to achieve is nothing more than justice and a
rational mechanism for ensuring all bus workers are recognised for
the service that they provide for this great city of ours.
"Privatisation has led to a race to the bottom in this vital
public service, with employers undercutting each other in their
desperation to retain routes or win new ones. Bus drivers'
livelihoods are being threatened not by the recession or the credit
crunch, but by this crazy system of lowest bidder takes all.
“Bus drivers and their colleagues keep this city moving. Mayor
Boris Johnson has described London's drivers as ‘the world's
finest’ yet he seems happy to see loyal and long-serving workers
lose their pensions or criss-cross London as companies fight for
routes and wrestle down costs.
"If those in power insist on retaining the discredited free
market approach to running a public service, then Unite is saying -
remove our members' pay and conditions from the equation. Compete
on quality, not on driving down busworkers pay and conditions."
ENDS
For further information contact Peter Kavanagh on 07980 721 422
or Mark Di-Toro in the Unite press office on 07918 640 579
NOTES:
- Unite has 28,000 members working in the London bus
industry.
- There are 20 different operators who compete to run routes on
five year contracts.
- All have different rates of pay and varying conditions and
facilities.
- With over 65 per cent of the cost of a route tender being made
up of labour costs, huge pressures exist to drive these costs
down.
- Unite is giving the employers one month to respond positively
to its request for a central pay bargaining body.
Unite for Jobs
On 16th May 2009, Unite will hold a march through Birmingham.
This will be the centrepiece of the 'Unite for Jobs' campaign. The
March for Jobs will spotlight the need for urgent assistance to
defend jobs.
To see what the Unite for Jobs demands are or for information on
the march visit: http://action.unitetheunion.org
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