Bus Strike

[Snook 10]

In the old days i wouldn't have been paying £1.10 to go three stops and the drivers wouldn't be insulted with such low wages.

 

They didn't have to worry about being polite to the public all day either and getting abuse if they didn't smile, they just had to drive.

[royjames 10]

Dont forget in the old days the buses were subsidised from the old rates system,so although your fares were small you were still paying out for the service via the rates.

This led to the situation where the well off ,those who did not use public transport very much having to subsidise those who were less well off ,but used the bus more.

Now you can argue whether that was right or wrong,I personally think those who are better off shoul'd support those less fortunate.

[Cyclone 10]

The drivers have to look after themselves, just like everyone else.

If they didn't strike now (ACAS cannot help, it needs both side to talk, and the only weapon the drivers have is strike), then 1st have won, the pitiful payrise goes through, more drivers leave and the service continues to deteriate.

 

If they are given a more generous payrise then they won't strike. No silly agreement is needed, and why should the union accept the company going to individual drivers. Without the union each one can be easily broken to accept whatever pittance is offered.

Or did you mean a 'no strike ever again' agreement, patently stupid as they give up their one point of leverage for a 1 off reasonable payrise???

 

I'm glad to see that you are completely confused. You'd like the drivers to be given a fair wage, but are behind 1st in breaking the strike and thus never having to offer a decent payrise again? Which is it, who do you support?

 

Originally posted by slimsid2000

It seems that the people who always get forgotten in cases like this are the most important people of all - the customers; without whom First would not have a business and the drivers would not have a job. It is the customers who always come off worst in bus strikes by being inconvenienced by the strike and then having to fund the pay rise with higher fares. A double whammy!

 

Personally I think the drivers should be given a more generous pay settlement but only in exchange for signing a no strike aggreement and on the strike understanding that it is not funded by fare rises. This deal should be offered to each driver individually and not to the union as a whole.

 

Hopefully enough drivers will accept to either prevent a strike or at least mitigate its effects. If this does not happen the company should have enough backbone to ride out any strike (possibly bringing in driver from outside) and starve the drivers back to work. This should hopefully be a deterant to any future strike.

[silverknight 10]

I think what most people are saying is that if First wants to call its self a leading player in the provision of public transport(bus & Rail) in the UK then then all sides want a fair deal.... customers want upto date fleets of buses/trains, to travel at a fair price,shareholders given a reasonable return and that staff pay and terms and conditions for working at First are the Best in the industry. If all of these where in place no one would be at boiling point and trying to score points.It may be a good job that First was not awarded the New Northern rail franchise and that the Yorkshire Traction Group bought out Yorkshire Terrier/Sheffield Omnibus/Andrews and provide a service in the Sheffield area. A few years ago First were trying to get a foothold in Barnsley.

[Cyclone 10]

they run services in barnsley don't they? And York, Leeds, Huddersfield, Manchester, and most of the rest of the country.

[silverknight 10]

No First is not the major operater in Barnsley this belongs to Yorkshire Traction who also own Barnsley & Dristrict. The last figures I saw for the major bus groups operating in the UK was that First had 23% Arriva 15% Stagecoach 15% Go Ahead 8% market share

National Express own Travel West Midlands (Birmingham Area)?%

There are then several medium size bus group companies like Yorkshire Traction,Blazefield and Trent Barton. Just the other day while waiting for a train I was have a flick through the mags at Smiths and it seems First are getting bad press in several other areas Manchester and Leeds being nearest for bringing in older buses from its other operating areas.Sheffield has had some from Northampton and London in the the past year. Also have you noticed the increasing use of pieces of card to show service number and destination. The other practice not just in Sheffield is why colour code the bus for Overground network operation then put that bus on some other route?

[Squiggs 11]

Originally posted by slimsid2000

One more point. I have noticed how many bus drivers seem to smoke (EVEN ON BUSES WHERE THEY KNOW THEY SHOULD NOT). Perhaps if they gave up their wages would go a lot further. As a life long non-smoker I certainly don't waste my money on fags and quite honestly have little sympathy for those who do and then come crying poverty.

 

If you can't help looking like an idiot when you open your mouth, staying silent is surely a better option...

 

If a bus driver wants to spend his earnings on cigarettes, then that is his or her right. And nothing to do with you, and nothing to do with whether they are entitled to a better pay structure.

 

I suppose you go shopping for only the bare nutritional essentials for survival, as anything more extravagant would be an appalling waste of money?

 

Or is it that a bus driver is so low in your eyes that it's an outrage that they should have any amount of "disposable" income - i.e. money that doesn't go on bills, food and rent/mortgage?

[Andy C 87]

Originally posted by slimsid2000

It seems that the people who always get forgotten in cases like this are the most important people of all - the customers; without whom First would not have a business

 

That is the whole point of leverage in a strike. If the employers don't make the effort to negotiate reasonably and come to a settlement, then the staff go on strike, which means the customers aren't spending money, which hits the company where it hurts! The longer the strike goes on for, the more the companies bottom line gets damaged, which focuses management minds.

 

And of course the longer the strike goes on for the longer the staff don't get paid.

 

So it is in everybody's interest to resolve it as soon as possible.

[Andy C 87]

Originally posted by slimsid2000

One more point. I have noticed how many bus drivers seem to smoke (EVEN ON BUSES WHERE THEY KNOW THEY SHOULD NOT). Perhaps if they gave up their wages would go a lot further. As a life long non-smoker I certainly don't waste my money on fags and quite honestly have little sympathy for those who do and then come crying poverty.

 

So what do you waste money on? Alcohol perhaps? You don't need to waste money drinking booze, you are obviously getting paid too much and should have a pay cut.

 

Obviously that is a stupid statement, as is the statement that drivers wouldn't need a pay rise if they gave up smoking.

[Andy C 87]

Originally posted by slimsid2000

You may be glad of deregulation if there is a strike. At least the trams and yorkshire Terrier buses will still run. In the old days a bus strike ment that there was no public transport at all.

 

Well there was always good old BR!

[A.B.Yaffle 24]

Some people moan about bus drivers being unhelpful or bad-mannered etc, but I wonder how many people would be able to cope with the impatient and rude passengers they have to deal with every day for what amounts to barely more than the minimum wage!

 

Although I have a car, I prefer to use public transport when possible and most of the bus drivers I meet are polite and good at their job, but I do think they are right to expect a decent wage for what is a very stressful and difficult job!

[kookie 10]

my sentiments exactly:thumbsup: