LEARNING AT STAGECOACH

www.rmt.org.uk :: october 2007 :: RMTnews 7 UPS Ltd, Lynx Express and RMT are pleased to announce that they have amicably settled litigation brought by the union. The litigation resulted from UPS’ acquisition of Lynx in September 2005 and concerned the recognition of RMT. The T&GWU union and URTU co-operated in finding a solution. An agreement for the recognition of RMT, in addition to the T&GWU and URTU, has been reached as part of this settlement. Compensation will also be paid to RMT members. The settlement enables all parties to avoid spending further time and money on litigation and to move forward on a firmer and clearer basis together to provide the best service in the industry. F ollowing successful strike action at Stagecoach Yorkshire at the Chesterfield depot, management tabled an improved offer which has been accepted by members. Bus workers voted overwhelmingly for 24-hour strike action, which members took in early September, and further industrial was called off following the improved offer. The deal includes. • A 3.3 per cent rise in rates with effect from the 29 April 2007, meaning that the starter rate of pay would move to £6.99 per hour and the main rate to £7.75 per hour. This means that back pay will be due on all hours worked from the 29 April to date. • A further two per cent rise in rates with effect from November 2007 meaning that the starter rate of pay would move to £7.13 per hour and the main rate to £7.90 per hour. This is an overall increase of 5.3 per cent. The company has been informed of the union’s acceptance of the improved offer and the increase should be in the members’ next pay packet. The next pay review would then be due on April 27 2008. A new fully-equipped centre was opened recently at Stagecoach Morecambe with the help of Unionlearn, the TUC’s learning and skills organisation, to help Stagecoach staff gain more workplace skills and qualifications. Following representations from RMT rep Ken Gillespie, the union made an application for funding to run a programme to engage "hard to reach" employees, within a culturally diverse organisation. The result was £7,000 funding, with Ken Gillespie being nominated as union learning rep to run the project. Of the eight Stagecoach depots in the North West, Morecambe is the only one with RMT recognition. Ken, who is also branch secretary and health and safety rep, has played a huge part in ensuring that RMT sets the education agenda within Stagecoach North West. Unionlearn’s regional manager Dave Eva said that the learning centre offered a range of learning opportunities to staff. “Shifts and other working arrangements for transport staff often make it very difficult for them to gain access to learning. “This learning centre is the perfect solution to that problem, as it puts learning on their doorstep,’’ he said. The centre is based in a 50- foot long portable cabin at the depot on Whitegate in Morecambe’s White Lund Industrial Estate. He also pointed out that big business interests and the CBI supported the treaty and opposed a referendum. An RMT motion calling for a no vote was narrowly defeated due to a late decision by the Unite union – made up of T&GWU and Amicus – to oppose. RMT general secretary Bob Crow argued that TUC policy was already against the Constitution and it was clearly the same document which the French and Dutch rejected in 2005. He said that the ‘new’ treaty “would mark a further transfer of power to unelected mandarins in Brussels and undermine democratic advances fought for over centuries”. PCS general secretary Mark Sewortka pointed out that it was not somehow ‘right wing’ or anti-union to oppose the neo- liberal constitution. Bob Oram of Unison warned that the treaty was “an attempt at creating a federal Europe with one currency, one government, one foreign policy, one military machine, one industrial policy and the complete freedom of labour, capital, goods and services and a free market which will include health and education”. Bakers’ union delegate Tony Richardson stormed that the constitution was “undemocratic, it’s centralising, it’s a privateers’ paradise and it’s certainly not a friend of workers”. Fire Brigade’s Union delegate Mick Shaw warned that the treaty would privatise services, drive down wages and hand power to unaccountable EU institutions. Aslef delegate Brian Corbett warned that if the constitution was imposed it would signal the end of the welfare state and democracy as we know it. LEARNING: Opening the learning centre is Chris Bowles, Stagecoach managing director, Tony Saunders from Unionlearn, RMT regional organiser John Tilley and RMT rep and project co-ordinator Ken Gillespie. Learning is now on the timetable at Stagecoach’s Morecambe depot with a new on-site education centre LEARNING AT STAGECOACH RECOGNITION DEAL AT LYNX/UPS IMPROVED OFFER AT STAGECOACH YORKSHIRE A joint statement agreed by RMT with UPS/Lynx Express: