BUS WORKERS TAKE FURTHER ACTION

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december 2012 :: RMTnews 6 R MT members at First Devon and Cornwall bus company are taking further strike action to demand back pay as part of any settlement to the dispute. Further action had been suspended following the improved offer of nearly five per cent over two years but no back pay. Strike action in October left only 10 per cent of bus services running. Picket lines were also well supported in Penzance, Helston, Truro, Camborne and other depots. RMT members had voted by almost 85 per cent for strike action and by over 90 per cent for action short of a strike. The action follows the rejection of this year's long overdue pay offer which included proposals that would have ring-fenced company profits and undermined working conditions. It included the loss of paid walking time, the removal of time to do a visual "walk round" check when taking a bus over mid shift and the dilution of sick pay benefits. This follows on from the removal of the final salary section of the pension scheme, already implemented despite fierce union objections. RMT general secretary Bob Crow congratulated members for standing firm and forcing management to understand the anger of their workforce. “Bus services and bus workers in the South West are under a series of attacks as the companies attempt to ramp up and protect profits at the expense of the staff and that situation cannot continue,” he said. BUS WORKERS TAKE FURTHER ACTION Bus workers picket at Camborne Bus workers picket at Helston Bus workers picket at Penzance Bus workers picket at Truro Photography by EC member Dave Letcher