{"id":14397,"date":"2018-01-17T16:44:19","date_gmt":"2018-01-17T16:44:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=14397"},"modified":"2020-11-12T12:59:12","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T12:59:12","slug":"landmark-deal-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=14397","title":{"rendered":"Landmark deal"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Unite member Neil Muhammad would never have imagined that he would be earning \u00c2\u0141150 a week less than he did two decades ago for doing the same exact job.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And this figure doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take into account inflation either.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This jaw-dropping fall in his wages he first noticed when he unearthed a wage slip he happened to keep when he just started as a London bus driver in 1999, with the now-defunct operator Connex UK.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He took a break from the job after several years and decided to return to it recently \u00e2\u20ac\u201c this time working for a different company, one of among about a dozen bus firms now operating in the capital.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But his five years of experience in a stressful and highly complex role counted for nothing \u00e2\u20ac\u201c he would start at the same level as someone who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only just learning the ins and outs of driving the iconic London bus.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWho can explain this, I thought,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Neil (pictured below) said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt was mind-boggling.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Unite

Unite member Neil Muhammad with Unite GS Len McCluskey<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

This wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a mistake but business as usual for London bus operators, who have historically refused to recognise bus drivers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 years of service if they switched companies.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Whether you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve worked 15 years or 5 minutes as a driver, if you started at any given bus company, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d start on the same pay.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

London Licence<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

But now — thanks to a landmark deal brokered between Unite, TfL and the bus companies –this is all about to change.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

London bus drivers joined Unite general secretary Len McCluskey and \u00c2\u00a0London Mayor Sadiq Khan today (January 17) at the launch of the \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Licence for London,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 which will recognise bus drivers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 years of service and experience by maintaining their pay, terms and conditions if they change operators within the capital.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It marks a major step forward in ending the race to the bottom that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plagued bus drivers in London for years \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and follows another deal last year which established a minimum pay rate for drivers at \u00c2\u014123,000 annually.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

McCluskey and Khan together with bus drivers (pictured below) celebrated at the Merton Bus Garage \u00e2\u20ac\u201c where the London Mayor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s father worked as a bus driver himself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"bus2

Unite GS Len McCluskey, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and London bus drivers at Merton Bus Garage<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is about raising standards and rewarding people for their experience,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Khan told bus drivers. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is a great example of trade unions working with TfL and bus operators to improve terms and conditions for drivers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and it also leads to a better service for passengers as well. So it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a win-win. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no downside to this.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

McCluskey thanked Khan for the role he played in securing the Licence for London.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Keeping promises<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is a great example of a politician keeping to their promises \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a Labour mayor delivering on the platform that he stood on,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis city of ours is the greatest capital city in the world and one of the iconic images of this is the red bus,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 McCluskey added, addressing the drivers. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bYou\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re the ones who keep the veins of our city \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the roads \u00e2\u20ac\u201c flowing.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015b[The London Licence] is fantastic,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he went on to say. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about treating workers with respect and dignity.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt ends this unfair farce and introduces minimum standards that will retain knowledge and expertise on London\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s roads.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He agreed with Khan that the Licence benefits both passengers and workers and he added that it shows \u00e2\u20ac\u015bwhat can be achieved when employers, politicians and trade unions work constructively together.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

No one is more hopeful about how the Licence will create a better future for he and his fellow bus drivers than Neil, whose wages have tumbled despite his years of experience.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe licence is very important for maintaining wages and terms and conditions at a decent level,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhat Len said today about a race to the bottom \u00e2\u20ac\u201c my story pretty much says it all. Anything that helps to get us to a level where we can actually live and pay our rent and mortgages \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what we need.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

‘Right thing to do’<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Unite member Natasha Smith (pictured below), who just started driving London buses 17 months ago, agreed. As a mother of five, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d re-entered the workforce after caring for her children for many years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"bus

Unite member and bus driver Natasha Smith<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI love everything about being a bus driver \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and I especially love interactions with passengers,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Natasha is a natural at her job and a credit to London bus drivers — in her first 16 months, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d garnered 16 commendations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But were it not for the London Licence, she could find herself in a position where she would have to give up her love of bus driving altogether, she says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI feel if I had all these years\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 experience it would be a shame to move and lose all of that. It would definitely mean I would have to reconsider being a bus driver at all,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said as she highlighted the struggles of supporting a large family.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite member Steve Riches (pictured below), a veteran bus driver with nearly 20 years\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 experience and winner of a Bus Driver of the Year award in 2013, is among those who stood to lose out most from the previous system.<\/p>\n

\"bus4

Unite member and bus driver Steve Riches<\/p><\/div>\n

But now his level of expertise is valued and protected, no matter which London bus operator he chooses to work for.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only the right thing to do,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs you drive a bus over the years, you build up your seniority. And when you change company, you should be able transfer it to another company because you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve earned that seniority.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

More work to do<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Unite regional officer John Murphy explained the role Unite played in securing the London Licence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe London Licence wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have been achieved at all if it weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t for Unite,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn 2015 we took action for the right to be negotiated with across the whole sector, which was instrumental in securing minimum rates of pay and the Licence we have today.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bNow drivers will be able to move from one company to another and won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to start from the beginning,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Murphy added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a recognition of their service. It puts a brake on the race to the bottom.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Still, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s much more work left to do in support of London bus drivers whose roles are so central to the successful running of one of the world\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s leading capital cities, Murphy noted.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe still have this situation where there are huge pay differentials among the different London bus operators,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained, pointing to the fact that the top rate of pay across the sector can be as much as \u00c2\u01418,000 more than the lowest rate \u00e2\u20ac\u201c even among drivers with similar levels of experience driving similar routes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bHow can you justify two people doing the same job — effectively two bus drivers driving two buses on the same street \u00e2\u20ac\u201c being paid at such grossly different levels? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not acceptable,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

\"bus5

Bus drivers with London Mayor talking in the canteen<\/p><\/div>\n

Unite is now working with the London Mayor to deliver on a campaign promise he made to rectify this situation, Murphy explained, which he said he said he has high hopes for — given Khan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s strong willingness to engage with trade unions compared to his predecessor Boris Johnson, who would often refuse to talk to them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite is also campaigning on other issues important to bus drivers such as health and safety, as well as diversity and equalities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is this work that Unite is doing on behalf of bus drivers that prompted Natasha to urge everyone to join a union.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIf anything happens, you know you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got backup, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got an advocate; you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got that support network,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like being in a family \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the whole is greater than the sum of all its parts.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  • Pics by Mark Thomas<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Unite member Neil Muhammad would never have imagined that he would be earning \u00c2\u0141150 a week less than he did two decades ago for doing the same exact job.   And this figure doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take into account inflation either.   This jaw-dropping fall in his wages he first noticed when he unearthed a wage slip […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14398,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[202,192,238],"wps_subtitle":"Unite celebrates \u00e2\u20ac\u0098London Licence\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 for bus drivers","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14397"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14397"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14397\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26471,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14397\/revisions\/26471"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}