DRIVING CHANGE IN THE BUS INDUSTRY

The union has been working with Labour MP for Leamington and Warwick Matt Western on his Bus Drivers (Working Hours on Local Routes) Bill as RMT bus drivers in England continue to work longer hours than other land transport workers on rates of pay that do not reflect the skill required to do the job. As well as downgrading those skills and undermining the health of bus drivers, the lax regulation of hours can be fatal. Matt introduced his Private Members Bill last month following an horrific incident in Coventry city centre in October 2015, when a Stagecoach Midland Red veered off the road and crashed into a supermarket, causing the deaths of seven year-old Rowan Fitzgerald and 76-year-old Dora Hancox and seriously injuring many others. At the time of the incident, the bus driver, 77-year-old Kailash Chander was working an 11-hour shift at the end of a 75-hour week. His colleagues had remarked to Mr Chander earlier in the day that he looked ‘knackered.’ The fatal incident was caused when the driver mistook the accelerator for the brake. As Matt Western said in his speech to the Commons, this tragedy was all the worse for the fact that it could have been prevented. Stagecoach were fined £2.3 million for failing to prevent this tragedy but the dangers from bus drivers’ working excessive hours have not been addressed. At the moment it is legal for bus drivers on local routes (less than 50 km) to work 10-hour days, with no weekly or fortnightly limit apart from one day off in two weeks. Incredibly, it is entirely legal for a local bus driver to work 130 hours over two weeks, with only a half an hour break after 5.5 hours driving. And even bus drivers’ entitlement to 10 hours rest between two working days (or spread overs) can be reduced to 8.5 hours up to 3 times over a working week. By contrast, long-distance bus or lorry drivers are legally restricted to 56 hours driving a week or 90 hours over two consecutive weeks. These restrictions must be adopted for local bus drivers, alongside a mandatory break of no less than 45 minutes after no more than 4.5 hours behind the wheel. The present regulations only allow bus drivers a 30-minute break after 5.5 hours behind the wheel. In reality, bus drivers are taking shorter breaks or no break at all if routes are congested or other factors cause delays. As Matt Western stated to MPs: “The culture of long hours among bus drivers is accompanied by low wage rates which places a dubious incentive on overtime. “Over the past two decades, wages have fallen relative to average incomes. This is causing bus drivers to work nearly six hours a week more than average workers to sustain their incomes at a reasonable level. “Regulations must prevent that, but must also ensure that bus drivers are paid properly for the essential public service they provide. This is important at a time when operators are cutting unprofitable routes and local councils are cutting funding to bus services. The policies of the Coalition RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march 2019 :: RMTnews 22 DRIVING CHANGE IN THE BUS INDUSTRY It was a very special privilege to have been a lifelong friend of Paul Flynn. As an MP he battled eloquently to support the struggles of the working class and the issues they face on a daily basis. For example, in his work as an MP he gave particular support and muster to transport workers, including as a member of the RMT Parliamentary group. In the maritime sector he questioned the practices associated with Flags of Convenience. This in turn led him to look closer at the appalling condition of service for maritime workers and fought to improve those conditions through new legislation. It seems ironic that the first time I met Paul Flynn was at a conference sponsored by the then NUR themed as Campaigning for Change. Paul, then a local Gwent County Councillor, addressed the conference as how he intended to win back Newport West from the clutches of a Tory MP Mark Robinson who had bagged the newly-formed constituency. History dictates the result of that 1987 election and indeed how well Paul Flynn had applied what he preached re- campaigning for change. It later formed the basis for his, somewhat tongue -in cheek- book, How to Be An MP. The revenues generated by the book were all donated to the charities that Paul supported. During his tenure of Newport West as an MP, Paul was a supporter of railways and railway workers. After all, his own father-in-law had been a steam engine driver since the end of World War Two. Paul also became an avid supporter of the newly merged Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union (RMT), supporting their cause through campaigning and Early Day Motions thereby stating his support for the rights of railway workers to maintain their hard-won terms and conditions. Paul Flynn had struggled all his life with a debilitating Rheumatoid Arthritis which had given him a slightly diminutive physical stature, but it gave him the determination to be a giant of a figure and personality in fighting for the rights of working people, Paul Philip Flynn (February 9 1935 – February 17 2019) was SUPPORT: Labour MPs who support the Bus Drivers (Working Hours on Local Routes) bill including Group convenor Ian Mearns and Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Andy McDonald. Matt Western is front row, first left. Newport branch secretary Steve Richards pays tribute to Paul Flynn Labour MP for Newport West who passed away last month PAUL FLYNN–A TRIBUTE