Stageoach East Midlands workers to strike

[YorkRailFan]

From the RMT:
RMT Press Office:

Stagecoach East Midlands workers to walkout over pay offer.

Bus workers at Stagecoach East Midlands, are set to strike over a poor pay offer, RMT has announced.

The stoppages that are due to take place are as follows:

02:00 hours on Monday 27th November 2023 to 01:59 on Wednesday 29th November 2023
02:00 hours on Monday 4th December 2023 to 01:59 on Wednesday 6th December 2023
02:00 hours on Monday 11th December 2023 to 01:59 on Wednesday 13th December 2023
02:00 hours on Monday 18th December 2023 to 01:59 on Wednesday 20th December 2023

The union is calling on Stagecoach East Midlands to pay their staff a decent wage and provide good working conditions, arguing that low pay is endemic within the bus industry.

Bus drivers currently only earn £10.93 an hour when they start the job with it only rising to £12.50 after one year's service.

This is despite the fact, Stagecoach’s latest financial report showing that it has paid out dividends to shareholders worth £47.5m.

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said, "The huge endorsement for strike action by our Stagecoach members reflect the growing disgust amongst bus workers at being taken for granted while their pay continues to fall in real terms.

"Management need to come up with a reasonable offer that deals with the poverty pay and poor conditions in the industry.

"However, if Stagecoach bosses remain intransigent, our members are fully prepared to take further industrial action on and into the new year if necessary."

Not great for those traveling during the Christmas run up, but of course that's why the strikes are when they are.

 

[ChrisC]

Not great for those traveling during the Christmas run up, but of course that's why the strikes are when they are.

Does anyone have any further news on this. Not great at all if there are going to be no buses every Monday and Tuesday from next week until at least Christmas. In some ways, at a more localised level, these bus strikes will be far more disruptive in the lead up to Christmas than the rail strikes.

 

[YorkRailFan]

Does anyone have any further news on this. Not great at all if there are going to be no buses every Monday and Tuesday from next week until at least Christmas. In some ways, at a more localised level, these bus strikes will be far more disruptive in the lead up to Christmas than the rail strikes.

I recommend following @ StagecoachEMid on Twitter/X.

 

[ChrisC]

I recommend following @ StagecoachEMid on Twitter/X.

Thanks. I do look at that quite frequently to check for any known cancellations. Hopefully they will keep it up to date and give plenty of notice of potential disruption. Fortunately I do live within 30 minutes walk of a TrentBarton bus route.

 

[YorkRailFan]

Thanks. I do look at that quite frequently to check for any known cancellations. Hopefully they will keep it up to date and give plenty of notice of potential disruption. Fortunately I do live within 30 minutes walk of a TrentBarton bus route.

They should do, if not you can also @ them.

 

[renegademaster]

How can bus drivers always seem to be able to afford more prolonged strikes periods than rail? Is RMT very liberal with the hardship fund in a way it couldn't be able afford with the numbers involved in it's rail strikes?

 

[YorkRailFan]

How can bus drivers always seem to be able to afford more prolonged strikes periods than rail? Is RMT very liberal with the hardship fund in a way it couldn't be able afford with the numbers involved in it's rail strikes?

The Government sees a nationwide rail strike as much worse than a longer strike impacting buses in one region.

 

[renegademaster]

The Government sees a nationwide rail strike as much worse than a longer strike impacting buses in one region.

The main adversary in this isn't Westminster though. For Stagecoach and Nottinghamshire County Council this is probably as serious to them as the nationwide strike is for Westminster. And id suspect the government would be a lot inclined to come to deal if RMT and ASLEF pulled an indefinite full time strike like National Express West Midlands did.

Most of the bus strikes that happen tend to get settled within a few weeks too. Abellio London was the most prolonged but still eventually got settled. Westminster didn't need to get involved and invest extra , the operators just dug under the sofa for some money.

 

[ChrisC]

How can bus drivers always seem to be able to afford more prolonged strikes periods than rail? Is RMT very liberal with the hardship fund in a way it couldn't be able afford with the numbers involved in its rail strikes?

I‘m quite surprised that the bus drivers have agreed to strike, and lose pay, for as many as 8 days on the lead up to Christmas.

 

[M803UYA]

I‘m quite surprised that the bus drivers have agreed to strike, and lose pay, for as many as 8 days on the lead up to Christmas.

Are you? The Yorkshire drivers went on strike late in 2021 for a number of weeks over poor pay and the company settled.
For the hours they work and the rubbish spouted about them being covid heroes by employers, I think the question would be why haven't they come out sooner?

 

[ChrisC]

Are you? The Yorkshire drivers went on strike late in 2021 for a number of weeks over poor pay and the company settled.
For the hours they work and the rubbish spouted about them being covid heroes by employers, I think the question would be why haven't they come out sooner?

No, I am not surprised that they are coming out on strike and fully understand why. I am surprised that they have chosen to do this for 8 days in the run up to Christmas. This is a time of year when I wouldn’t think that they would want to lose 8 days pay.

 

[M803UYA]

No, I am not surprised that they are coming out on strike and fully understand why. I am surprised that they have chosen to do this for 8 days in the run up to Christmas. This is a time of year when I wouldn’t think that they would want to lose 8 days pay.

Have to confess it's not something I'd do. An overtime ban is far more disruptive seeing how the industry relies on the goodwill of the driving staff simply to function and achieve a normal level of service. Works too - buses start being dropped left right and centre and drivers still get paid the usual weekly hours. Given how most exceed the rostered hours on a regular basis it makes the point to management in a different way that drivers should have some level of respect.

 

[YorkRailFan]

Update: Strike suspended.

Source: https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/bus-workers-suspend-strike-action-following-new-221123/

Stagecoach East Midlands workers at Mansfield and Worksop depots will be balloted on the new pay offer in a referendum.

The union suspended the 48 hour strike action planned for 27 November after Stagecoach produced an offer which if accepted would take bus drivers wages to £15 an hour.
It is worth 18.7% as part of a multi-year deal for all grades in the company with significant back pay and marks an improvement on previous offers made by the company.
RMT is recommending acceptance of the offer and the referendum will close on November 30.
General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “I congratulate our members on this show of industrial strength and determination which has significantly moved management.
”Strong organisation and being prepared to take significant stoppages over the coming few weeks has given our negotiators the leverage needed to achieve this new offer.
“Members themselves will now decide whether to accept this pay award.”
END

Seems like if a strike does go ahead, it will be after Christmas and in January.

 

[ricoblade]

Update: Strike suspended.


Seems like if a strike does go ahead, it will be after Christmas and in January.

Mod note: source?

Hope so! I've got 2 weeks off work starting next week and need SEM to get me to/from Donny or Retford stations!

Like a poster above, I use the SEM Twitter feed for cancellations so will also check this for strike info.