RMT WINS IMPROVED PAY DEAL AT SOUTHERN VECTIS

www.rmt.org.uk :: august/september 2007 :: RMTnews 5 R MT has suspended planned strike action at the Southern Vectis bus company on the Isle of Wight after an improved pay offer from management. The 234 members at the company overwhelmingly backed the new offer in a referendum. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that the threat of action had brought the company to its senses. He said that by standing firm the members at Southern Vectis had won themselves a greatly improved offer which the union executive encourages them to accept. "However, we were greatly disturbed by the company's decision to withdraw our members' sick pay scheme in an attempt to intimidate the workers from going on strike. This was done on July 3 - four days before the action was due to start," Bob Crow said. The two-year offer is as follows:- A series of planned 24-hour strikes by members at the Wilts and Dorset bus company over excessive driving hours and imposed rosters were suspended pending further talks. RMT members at Poole, Bournemouth, Blandford, Lymington, Ringwood and Swanage depots were set to strike after returning a strike majority of more than ten to one. The dispute centres on the company's refusal to accept that drivers should be rostered for no more than four-and-a- half hours' continuous driving, and on the imposition of duties and rosters without the agreement of union reps. Delegates at the union's conference in Edinburgh also voted to campaign to press the government to reduce the current legal maximums of ten hours' daily driving time and five hours' maximum without a break. "This is a straightforward issue of the health and safety of our members and their passengers, and the company simply has no excuses," RMT general secretary Bob Crow told conference. "It is breathtaking that Wilts and Dorset maintains that it is acceptable to expect drivers responsible for the safety of passengers drive for more than four-and-a-half hours without a break and continues to impose rosters without agreement. "I hope passengers will understand that we have tried for many months to get the company to shift on this vital issue and we can only hope that the company now recognises our members' anger and negotiates seriously. "The company should take a sober look at the massive vote for action and recognise the growing anger over the company putting is profits before the safety of our members and their passengers," Bob said. WILTS AND DORSET BUS WORKERS BATTLE OVER EXCESSIVE DRIVING HOURS RMT WINS IMPROVED PAY DEAL AT SOUTHERN VECTIS YEAR ONE • An eight per cent increase to all other rates and driver grades, effective June 3 2007. • An eight per cent increase to basic rates of pay only and also on shift allowance payments to qualifying engineering, clerical and supervisory grades, effective February 25 2007 YEAR TWO • All rates increase by the January 2008 RPI figure announced in February, plus one per cent. • Driver basic rate to move to a minimum of £8.20. • Cleaner overtime rate to become 50 per cent above the new basic rate.