First Bus drivers to walk out in Scotland

Central Borders, SE Scotland

Bus services could come to a standstill on Monday unless First bosses can reach a pay deal with drivers. Borders drivers want a nine percent wage increase to bring them into line with other operators in First Bus’s east of Scotland division. But managers had been offering only 2.5 percent and the 100 or so drivers look set to strike on Monday, with further stoppages planned for Friday June 18 and Monday June 21. An overtime ban is also planned for Tuesday.

Yesterday union negotiators were taking a new, undisclosed offer to members but as The Southern went to press the industrial action was still due to go ahead. Unite regional industrial organiser, Sandy Smart said: “What we are looking for is parity with other parts of the company – but the company is arguing it is not prepared to give that. It has caused quite a bit of resentment and anger. “Drivers get paid 75p an hour less than the guy in the same uniform doing the same job up the road in Edinburgh.”
http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk

Unite conference debates anti-union laws

Resistance to cuts and attacks on jobs and services ran through the Unite policy conference in Manchester this week.Delegates took part in a passionate debate on the anti-union laws on Tuesday afternoon.
They backed a composite of motions arguing for a repeal of the anti-union laws and replacing them with a framework giving more rights and freedom to trade unions.
Nigel Gawthrope from London and Eastern region moved the composite. He pointed to the behaviour of Willie Walsh at BA and said, “These bastards have to be stopped from giving our members a kicking”.
Delegates also put a motion arguing for unofficial action to beat the laws. It read, “Despite prohibitive and undemocratic anti-union laws, a number of industrial disputes have taken place in 2009 which have resulted in victories or partial victories for working class people”.
It listed strike action at Lindsey Oil Refinery and other construction sites, occupations at Visteon and Vestas and walkouts in prisons as examples.
Colin Calder from Swansea moved it. “Usually unofficial action wins quicker,” he noted. “It’s quite simple – either you show solidarity or you don’t.” Many spoke bitterly of how the anti-union laws had remained after 13 years of a Labour government.
Joint general secretary of Unite, Derek Simpson, spoke against the motion. On the question of illegal action he said, “If people think it’s clever to put the funds of the union at risk, I believe they’re in cloud cuckoo land.” The motion had mentioned several cases where Unite members had indeed taken illegal action and the union’s funds were left untouched.
Simpson asked conference to remit the motion rather than have a vote where the executive would ask delegates to vote it down. Conference agreed. The main composite on fighting the anti-union laws was passed.

http://www.socialistworker.co.uk

Wildcat strike in South Africa

Johannesburg
About 150 bus drivers embarked on an illegal strike yesterday demanding that they should be employed permanently as from today. The South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) which represents them was trying to persuade them to return to work. The workers have promised the union they would return to work today.
The latest strike follows one about two weeks ago. Drivers’ had downed tools demanding recognition and an explanation of the safety clause in their contracts. Samwu spokesperson Dion Makhura said it was a challenge to deal with the bus drivers, who are mostly from the unregulated taxi industry.
When asked why they went on strike without informing their representatives first, Makhura said: “We do not know. But you have to understand that we are dealing with former taxi drivers here... There is a lot of education regarding labour rights that still needs to be done.”

http://www.sowetan.co.za

Ballot to defend Abdul Omer

Bus workers at two Sovereign Bus garages in west London are set to take part in a consultative ballot this Friday for strike action in defence of their sacked union Unite convenor.
Bosses sacked Abdul Omer Moshin claiming he was intimidating a witness at a disciplinary while representing a worker. His real crime was to have built the union effectively. Management upheld his sacking on appeal, but have now agreed to a “special review” of his case to be held on 2 June.

http://www.socialistworker.co.uk

Bangladeshi drivers strike for justice

Sylhet, Bangladesh

A transport strike paralysed the district's communications on Monday.
Sylhet District Road Transport Labour Union called a day-long strike pressing for the arrest of the murderers who rented a microbus from Sylhet and killed its driver and an assistant in Gazipur on April 26.
The union president Selim Ahmed Falik told journalists that they had gone to the district administration to urge the arrest of the murderers and recovery of the microbus.
The union then called the strike since there were no steps in that direction. 

http://bdnews24.com

Strike against privatisation in China

Baoshan City, Yunnan Province, SW China

Bus drivers have struck over recent reforms at the state-owned company.
The action, which began Monday morning, effects 54 buses covering five routes
The drivers were in dispute over the terms of a reform contract the two sides signed in March. The reforms are an attempt to privatise the company, a driver told Xinhua News Agency.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn

Len McCluskey declares support for Abdul Omer

Len McCluskey, Unite’s assistant general secretary, offered “unequivocal support” for Abdul Omer, the sacked convenor at Sovereign Bus in west London, at last week’s London Bus Conference. Plans for a consultative ballot at Sovereign have been postponed until after a “special review” between Unite and a Sovereign director.

East London drivers resist pay cuts

East London Bus Group (ELBG) wants to launch an attack on drivers – but workers are determined to resist.
The mood was militant as 400 drivers packed into East Ham town hall for a meeting with their Unite union reps last week. They heard about ELBG’s plan to save £17 million over six months by pay cuts and attacks on terms and conditions.
Already supervisors face pay cuts of £4,000 a year, redundancies and attacks on holiday entitlement, sick pay and increases to their working hours. Unite’s London regional organiser Peter Kavanagh, told the meeting that the union backed strike action saying, “We are a fighting back union.”
A driver from Plumstead pointed out that ELBG was owned by an Australian bank. He said, “When the banks are broke they go to the taxpayer to bail them out, but they are not getting another penny out of me.” The meeting voted overwhelmingly for an immediate ballot for hard hitting strike action if ELBG propose pay cuts or attacks on terms and conditions.
ELBG’s assault is an issue for every bus driver. If they get away with it, it will set a precedent for companies across the city. Every activist needs to be spreading the message of resistance.

http://www.socialistworker.co.uk