‘Phenomenal’ public support

Bus drivers in Weymouth and Bridport have been buoyed up by ‘phenomenal’ public support in their two-month industrial action against ‘poverty pay’.

Unite also branded the claims of First Hampshire & Dorset management that the more than 110 drivers are refusing to accept arbitration as ‘absolute lies’.

The war of words hotted up as Unite announced today (August 8) that a further week of strike action would start at 4.30am on Monday, August 15 and ending on 4.29am,  Monday, August 22. This follows on from the current strike action taking place this week.

“It is absolute lies from the company that our members are refusing to go to arbitration – they would embrace such a process to solve the long-running ‘poverty pay’ dispute, but only if the conciliation talks were genuine,” said Unite regional officer Bob Lanning.

“The sticking point is that the management wants any agreement to be binding, which negates the concept that such talks should be wide-ranging and any deal hammered out then being put to a vote of the drivers,” he explained.

“I would like to thank the Dorset public for their unswerving support of the drivers. It has been truly phenomenal – our members could not have continued without that strong groundswell of support from the community in which they live,” Lanning added.

“We have had many financial donations, including a retired person who gave £100 to the strike fund – that’s heart-warming.”

A fortnight ago, Unite exposed the fact the company, part of the highly profitable First Group, was docking company sick pay on strike days for cancer sufferers and those with serious heart conditions, even though they had been ‘signed off’ sick by their GP.

Unite has said that the pay dispute would cost just £48,000-a-year to settle, while the losses caused by the six week-old dispute is now £250,000 and could reach  £500,000, if the industrial action continues for another six weeks.