FirstGroup tries to flog London bus operations

Stagecoach has walked away from talks with arch-rival FirstGroup about taking over London bus assets that have been on the auction block for months. It is understood they could not agree on a price.
The depots thought to be up for sale are Dagenham, Northumberland Park and Leigh in east London, with Stagecoach thought to be particularly interested in Dagenham. That would mesh with Stagecoach’s other bus operations in the area, which include Barking, Bow, Leyton, Romford, West Ham and Catford.

How London is carved up
Souter’s group currently has a 15 per cent share of the London market, while FirstGroup is the fifth-biggest player with 13 per cent. The market leaders are Go-Ahead with 21 per cent, and Arriva with 20 per cent. One industry source said: “I would have thought Stagecoach would have been the front runner for the assets FirstGroup doesn’t want... Stagecoach has the balance sheet strength to do it.” By contrast, it is thought Go-Ahead is constrained in bidding for the FirstGroup assets by hefty debts, while Arriva is now owned by Deutsche Bahn and is seen as being mainly focused on its trains business.
http://www.scotsman.com

Zimbabwe: police corruption sparks strike

Commuter omnibus drivers on the Harare-Norton route have threatened to strike against what they termed harassment and extortion by traffic police along the Harare-Bulawayo Road. The operators said each bus was being made to part with an average of $50 a day in bribes. They said there were five police roadblocks along the 40km stretch and at each point police demanded $5, which adds up to $10 for a round trip.
National traffic police spokesperson Inspector Tigere Chigome yesterday refused to comment on the threatened boycott. “We don’t know about that and I cannot comment on what I don’t know”. One driver described his experience: “They don’t even come to us and search our vehicles... They just ask for money and if we don’t comply, they write a ticket for $20 which is unfair to us.”
http://www.newsday.co.zw

South Yorkshire victory: more details

by George Arthur  
Striking bus workers in Barnsley and Rawmarsh have won a significant victory in their battle over low pay with Stagecoach. Drivers voted on Friday of last week to accept a new offer of a pay rise to £9.05 an hour plus £130 back pay. They are members of the Unite union.
After 12 strike days, massive picket lines and a march through Barnsley town centre, Stagecoach was forced to grant concessions it said would never happen. The previous offer did not include back pay. It also involved a number of strings that would have removed benefits from drivers. These strings have since been withdrawn. 

Scabs
Just a few weeks ago management insisted there would never be any back pay—because the funds had gone to pay scabs instead. The drivers had originally been demanding a 26p an hour rise to £9 an hour. Stagecoach responded by spending vast sums on hiring scab drivers from across Britain on strike days. 
Some 251 drivers voted to accept the new offer, an overwhelming majority. But 35 drivers voted against. This is a clear warning to Stagecoach that negotiations in future will not be a pushover. 

Branches
The strike has built strong union branches. Tony Rushforth is a Unite branch secretary at the Barnsley depot. He said, “I am very proud of the members who refused to give in and who stood solid to the end.” He added, “I would also like to express my gratitude to all those who supported us through this strike—Barnsley trades council and all the other union branches who made donations. “All this amounts to some fantastic demonstrations of solidarity. Thank you all—we will never forget what you have all done.”
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk

South Yorkshire strikers win their demands

Stagecoach drivers at Rawmarsh and Barnsley garages have called off any further action after agreeing a pay deal with their company. Drivers who are members of the Unite started industrial action last November over an imposed pay rate of £8.74 per hour. After 12 days of strike action, a ballot took place on Friday when drivers voted overwhelmingly to accept an improved pay offer of an hourly rate of £9.05 plus back pay.
http://www.thornegazette.co.uk

Transport strike paralyses Berlin

Berlin’s underground, tram and bus network ground to a halt on Saturday as public transport workers went on strike for higher wages. “The strikes on Saturday are just a light warning” said Andreas Splanemann, spokesman for services union Verdi. He added that if their demand for a wage matching inflation rates was not met, the situation would escalate. 
 http://www.thelocal.de

South Yorkshire strike still going strong

4 Feb: A protest in solidarity with the strikers organised by the local trades council

by George Arthur  
Barnsley bus drivers finished their twelfth strike day on a high note. Some 70 of them were on the picket line from 5.30am until lunchtime on Friday of last week. The Unite union members are now giving Stagecoach management a couple of weeks to respond to the union’s demands for a decent wage and back pay to last June. A mass meeting of the drivers has been organised for this Sunday. Further action will follow if Stagecoach does not improve its offer. 
The strike is holding strong despite the hardship drivers face. One of the small minority of drivers who had been crossing the picket line rejoined the strike on Friday. 

Intimidate
Managers are trying to intimidate strikers with a number of unpleasant tactics. “They are looking for any excuse to pull people into the office,” one picket told Socialist Worker. “I was given a grilling for driving with a hat in the cold because it did not have Stagecoach printed on it.” Another picket told of how he had applied for another job. But Stagecoach is refusing to fill out a reference while the dispute is ongoing. 
Management have also refused to allow strikers any overtime working. Because basic wages have been so low many drivers rely on overtime to make up a wage they can live on. Some drivers have regularly been working 13 days every two weeks. “Stagecoach wants to starve us back,” one union rep said. “But the collections that are coming in will make sure that we can keep fighting.” 

Saltley
A Barnsley striker spoke at a public meeting in the town last Saturday that marked the 40th anniversary of the closing of Saltley gate. A collection at the meeting raised £100 for the hardship fund.
Messages of support should be emailed to Barnsley Unite branch secretary Tony Rushforth at a-rushforth@sky.com Cheques should be made payable to TGWU 9/9 Barnsley and sent to A Rushforth, 45 Tune Street, Wombwell, Barnsley S73 8PX
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk

COSATU intervenes after strikers are fired

Gauteng Province, South Africa 
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is seeking an urgent meeting with Gautrain management after 300 bus drivers were fired for going on an illegal strike. COSATU said the drivers (who are employed by Mega Express) have been outsourced. It argues this is a mechanism to shift the responsibility for fair labour practices.  
One of the drivers said “We welcome anyone who can assist us in this dilemma. We will be approaching the Gauteng Legislature to intervene. We cannot be treated like this in a democratic country".
http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za

Olympic bonuses - at Virgin Rail

Unite is campaigning for a £500 Olympic bonus for London bus drivers. We saw more evidence today of what can be won if a union exerts enough pressure – when Virgin Rail staff with the RMT secured a £500 Olympics and Paralympics payment. It is part of a package which will also see wages and allowances rise by 4.6% or £950 (whichever is the greater) from April this year. The latest agreement comes on top of other Olympics bonus deals won by the RMT:  

• Network Rail: £500 flat rate
• London Overground: minimum of £600 guaranteed – with more for the majority of staff.
• Docklands Light Railway: £900 flat rate plus guaranteed overtime at enhanced rates making the deal worth around £2,500
• Negotiations with London Underground are continuing.