STAGECOACH BUS PAY CAMPAIGN

RMT has launched a national Stagecoach bus pay campaign starting with an overwhelming vote in favour of strike action at Stagecoach East Midlands and serving notice of a ballot at Stagecoach Yorkshire Chesterfield. Membership record checks are also being carried out at Stagecoach South West (Plymouth, Dartmouth & Tavistock), Stagecoach South West (Barnstaple, Exeter and Torquay) and Stagecoach South (Andover, Basingstoke and Winchester) following an across the board pay offer of just one per cent. Members at Stagecoach East Midlands (Mansfield and Worksop) voted overwhelmingly for industrial action and ballots at Stagecoach Yorkshire, Stagecoach South West and Stagecoach South West (Plymouth, Dartmouth & Tavistock) close this month. The union has also written to the Chief Executive of Stagecoach UK Bus Group requesting a national Avoidance of Disputes meeting to discuss all these disputes. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that Stagecoach bus workers had been hailed as heroes during the Covid pandemic and they were being repaid by what is in effect and pay cut. “This union cannot and will not accept derisory below inflation pay offers and we are determined to ensure members receive fair reward for their hard work throughout the pandemic as a vital public service supporting key workers. “A fair and decent pay award is the least they deserve and it’s time to say enough is enough to an employer where shareholders are richly rewarded while they are happy to offer their staff a real term pay cut,” he said. He also warned that a nationally coordinated dispute on Stagecoach could cause tension and hard reactions from managers. “As a result, members must safeguard themselves in terms of using social media and in the workplace throughout. “Social media is a public forum and members should be highly cautious about posting or sharing anything that could be deemed to be bringing their employer into disrepute as this can form the basis of disciplinary action. “We have unfortunate examples of members who have fallen foul of this with overzealous and unscrupulous employers using it as an excuse to target members and reps particularly at time of dispute. “We must also take care due to the draconian anti trade union laws as we do not want to give companies avenues to legally challenge ballots and prevent the democratic will of members being achieved so only official leaflets and propaganda should be distributed,” he said. STAGECOACH BUS PAY CAMPAIGN Union in dispute with Stagecoach following below inflation pay offers across the country for bus workers RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: september 2021 :: RMTnews 9