Xmas bus strike on the cards?

The Weymouth bus driver ‘poverty pay’ dispute could continue to Christmas, after company bosses demanded ‘draconian’ conditions be imposed before arbitration talks could start.

More than 110 bus drivers in Weymouth and Bridport, members of Unite, voted overwhelmingly to reject the pre-conditions demanded by First Hampshire & Dorset Ltd, as they would have ‘hobbled’ the talks – under the auspices of the conciliation service, Acas – before they had even began.

The drivers are on strike this week, ending at just before midnight on Sunday, September 11. This will see the end of the 12-week mandate for industrial action – the strikes started in mid-June.

However, the drivers have voted for a further industrial action ballot to be held which, depending on the result, could mean a further 12 weeks of strike action running over the Christmas/New Year period.

“Our members voted overwhelmingly to withdraw from the Acas talks because of the draconian conditions that the management tried to impose before the talks had even began,” said Unite regional officer Bob Lanning.

“The talks about poverty pay would have been hobbled before they had started.

“It is Unite’s long-standing view that any deal hammered out at the proposed arbitration talks should be put to a vote of the members, which is normal employment practice,” he added.

“The company wanted the talks to be legally binding, which would have meant that our members would not have a vote on any deal that had been hammered out in their name. That’s not fair.

“The company also wanted a clause saying there could be no industrial action for three months following the arbitration talks. This could have meant that company sacking the drivers – and they could not take any action to protect their jobs. Again, that’s not fair.

“We now have several weeks before the result of the next industrial action ballot is known, which could see strikes continuing into the Christmas period,” Lanning went on to say.

“We would urge management to use this interval to negotiate a fair settlement and end this misery that the company by its anti-union actions is inflicting on the travelling public.”

Unite has said that the pay dispute would cost just ÂŁ48,000-a-year to settle, while the losses caused by the three month-old dispute are now more than ÂŁ250,000 and are set to reach ÂŁ500,000, if the dispute continues into the autumn.