oldtimer Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 A few points. I was involved in a bus driver strike in 1981 here in Edmonton. On the first day of the strike, we were told by the member of city council who was involved that we would be on strike for 41 days, until the city had saved enough money by not paying our wages to give us the raise we wanted! Sure enough, 41 days later we got our raise. I lost a beautiful Chevrolet Caprice Classic convertible because I couldn't make the payments! It took me at least three years to get back to the financial position I was in before we went on strike!! Two fact on strikes:- Striking for more money is like f*****g for virginity! Or like fighting for peace! It kind of defeats the purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 it's all well and good to call a strike petty and say that the drivers have no idea of the damage they are doing. When you're not the one who's been offered a paltry pay rise and have no other means to negotiate. As far as i'm concerned it is any organised unions right to negotiate for the workers, and the ultimate action they can take is to strike. It's not petty, it's the only leverage they have. And maybe it will cost all the drivers money in the short term, but equally it will cost first money, and it makes the news. Whether it's drivers or management that get vilified in the news, it's firstgroup that carries the stigma afterwards, and the people offering this pitiful payrise don't want that to happen as it impacts their bottom line. This is all about money of course, both for the drivers and for the management. The only question is who will fold first. Hopefully the management will offer a better payrise, as firstgroups financials are fine, and the south yorkshire region is one of it's more profitable ones (built on the old mainline). And i'm sure the drivers are completely aware of what impact their actions will have. In the world you envisage RPG they would simply accept 1.5% as their due. And next time maybe they'll take a 1.5% paycut, since you'd rather they don't strike. And one day we'll all be working for the minimum wage, since it might inconvenience some people if we protested that we were worth more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wibbles Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 I'm behind the bus drivers all the way but it seems nowadays if there is a problem with pay or hours then the only option is strike..full stop. I really liked the idea of bus drivers working but not collecting fares. This would really galvanise the relationship between bus drivers and customers. As much as people in this forum are showing their support there will be a lot of annoyed customers out there that will grow to dispise the bus service even more. If you were to carry on working but not collecting fares then surely it will hit the bosses pockets more. They still have to pay you, you are still using fuel for the buses but they are getting NIL revenue..whereas if you went on strike they wouldn't pay you at all and would probably still run a skeleton service allbeit a poor one. There must be more options than just an out and out strike. Its about time we were more imaginative about our protests!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 imaginative, but completely illegal. That would simply result in disciplinaries for the drivers involved. Probably not sacking, but it's then something they can use in the future if they wish to get rid of anyone. Whereas striking is legal and can't result in disciplinary action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy C Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 Originally posted by RPG I dont think the drivers actually realise the scale of damage they'll cause to sheffield as a whole, people who use the uses as a lifeline to get needed pension money (because the flaming PO's have shut), or people who are going to hospital on the bus. What about the countless peoples who cant get into work all because of a seeminglu petty strike? You have the choice not to work or not, by striking you are taking away others' choice to work. There are better ways to voice your distaste of how you are treated Ok, on the same principle, protest marches such as stop the war should be banned from the city centre. This disrupts my ability to travel home from work or shop in peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco_Cat Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 Be interested to know if any women who support this no public disruption argument refuse to vote because of a horse race was disrupted nearly a century ago, or if people refuse to recognise the end of Empire in India because a few train tracks were blocked. First will try their hardest to channel all negative press about this strike directly at the drivers and not at themselves for offering such abysmal pay, they want it to be seen purely as a strike against the public and not them. Shame the ride for free option is illegal, but maybe if the conflict continues more radical options are needed. What is the best way to contact First and raise my opposition to their actions? As i said before they are relying upon public opinion breaking this strike and i want them to know how much i support the drivers. Is this contact adequate? Customer Services Team First Midland Road Rotherham South Yorkshire S61 1TF Tel: 01709 566000 Or can a driver provide something more substantial? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
commie pig Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 the argument that strikers actively lose out by striking over pay is totally misleading. sure, you may lose the extra wages you are demanding that year, but that extra 1 or 2% remains with you in next years pay packet, and in the years after that etc etc. And transport workers goinhg on strike does not make it impossible for others to get to work, slightly more difficult, maybe, but not impossible at all. Or does anyone who would argue such a thing believe that transport workers are simply there to serve them, and that they have no rights of their own? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy C Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 OK, with my helpful hat on, let's get together a list of public transport services operated by other companies, which can be used whilst First is on strike (if it goes ahead of course) Trains: Sheffield-Meadowhall-Chapeltown-Barnsley Sheffield-Darnall-Woodhouse-Kiveton-Worksop Sheffield-Dore-Hope Valley-Manchester Sheffield-Meadowhall-Rotherham-Doncaster Trams: Yellow: Meadowhall-Sheffield-Middlewood Blue: Halfway-Sheffield-Malin Bridge Purple: Herdings Park-Sheffield Yorkshire Terrier buses 25 Bradway-Woodseats-Heeley-Sheffield-Woodhouse 49/49A Herdings-Sheffield-Parson Cross 52 Hillsborough-Crookes-Sheffield-Darnall-Woodhouse 61/62/63/64/65 Hillsborough/Bradfield rural links network 72/72A/72B Batemoor-Woodseats-Sheffield-Darfield/Manvers/Meadowhall 74/74A Millhouses-Ecclesall Road-Sheffield-High Green 120 Halfway-Sheffield-Hallamshire Hospital 123 Holbrook-Sheffield-Walkley TM Travel buses 89 Sheffield-Woodseats-Dronfield-Holmesfield-Chesterfield 213/214 Meadowhall-Wirksworth 252 Sheffield-Waterthorpe 285 Sheffield-Hallowes 293 Meadowhall-Sheffield-Millhouses-Bradway-Dronfield Stagecoach buses 43/44 Sheffield-Woodseats-Dronfield-Chesterfield 50/53 Sheffield-Mosborough-Chesterfield/Mansfield 65 Sheffield-Buxton 272 Sheffield-Castleton 747 Meadowhall-Woodseats-Chesterfield-Mansfield-Nottingham 767 Meadowhall-Worksop Aston buses M17 Jordanthorpe-Greenhill-Low Edges-Bradway-Totley-Dore 253 Sheffield-Woodseats-Coal Aston-Apperknowle-Waterthorpe 265 Sheffield-Chapeltown-Barnsley First Staffordshire buses X18 Sheffield-Totley-Bakewell-Buxton-Leek-Hanley Hulleys 272 Sheffield-Castleton Barnsley & District X10 Sheffield-Meadowhall-Chapeltown-Barnsley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saifa Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 Go drivers! Someone needs to make a stand against the current employment culture. You know- "we're doing you a favour giving you a job and if you don't like the pay or condition p**s off cos theres another 5 people from some temp agency waiting to sit in your seat". (I blame the 80s.) Employers need to wake up and realise its their staff that make the firm and treating them badly to save a bit of coin is NOT the way forward. What about a happy worker is a productive worker? Oh aye and bus drivers being miserable? Fair enough, I've met nuff rude surly bus drivers over the years but if I was getting paid what they were for the job they do I'd have face on as well. Good luck to you drivers, I hope the money grabbing ****s that run mainline listen for once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armin Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 Originally posted by uncleheed Yet again,First has tried to make us self fund any pay rise.The offer made is 1.5% over three years,losing sick pay and bank holidays. 1.5% over three years is actually quite ridiculous. Consumer prices rose by 1.5% last year alone (year prior:1.2%) and on average, wages in Britain rose by 4.3% (this year alone!, prior year 3.2%). Now I know this is a bit distorted by the South, but you get a clear overall picture of how good the UK is doing at the moment on average. I don't think you guys are offered a square deal, is there really no other way but strike though? (Source: Economist, http://www.economist.com/markets/indicators/index_wide.cfm?page=Economic%20and%20Financial&story_id=2908684) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.