(25 Sep 2023, 1:55 pm)Busu284 wrote Is it possible that if a Skelton service does happen. Would this cause some depot to shut and other depots run service.

(25 Sep 2023, 7:03 pm)Unber43 wrote Wonder what percentage of drivers which will be striking and which ones will be driving, I would also be interested in Union Members V Non-Union Memebers, and I wonder if theyll be driving, but theyll also reap the rewards.

Also can the drivers just put in a week holiday, or is that not allowed?

(25 Sep 2023, 7:37 pm)R852 PRG wrote What do you reckon?

(25 Sep 2023, 7:03 pm)Unber43 wrote Wonder what percentage of drivers which will be striking and which ones will be driving, I would also be interested in Union Members V Non-Union Memebers, and I wonder if theyll be driving, but theyll also reap the rewards.

Also can the drivers just put in a week holiday, or is that not allowed?

(25 Sep 2023, 7:42 pm)Unber43 wrote I assume no, But I don't get why not. 

Its their annual leave they should be able to use it as they please

(25 Sep 2023, 7:44 pm)xpm wrote For the most part it’s a union shop, woe betide anyone who decides to cross any picket line.  You’ll always get the few kiss asses who don’t care though. 

I’d imagine if this the same as last time, unite agreed to pay a daily rate to members which is nigh on what you’d get paid on an average shift anyway - it’s a no brainer.

(25 Sep 2023, 8:25 pm)Unber43 wrote I don't know how Managers/Supervisors can drive during strike days, surely theyre in a Union too, or is it after youve moved up all your morals just disappear

(25 Sep 2023, 8:25 pm)Unber43 wrote I don't know how Managers/Supervisors can drive during strike days, surely theyre in a Union too, or is it after youve moved up all your morals just disappear

(25 Sep 2023, 9:04 pm)R852 PRG wrote A rule of thumb to follow is that most of those who progress from the bottom up in service industries are, fundamentally, grovellers promoted beyond their ability and for their sheer spinelessness, typically very mediocre and with limited claim to distinction. 

The more time passes, the more they disassociate from the struggles that those beneath them in customer-facing roles endure, and the more they hassle those same people so as to maintain the precarity of their own position.

(25 Sep 2023, 9:04 pm)R852 PRG wrote A rule of thumb to follow is that most of those who progress from the bottom up in service industries are, fundamentally, grovellers promoted beyond their ability and for their sheer spinelessness, typically very mediocre and with limited claim to distinction. 

The more time passes, the more they disassociate from the struggles that those beneath them in customer-facing roles endure, and the more they hassle those same people so as to maintain the precarity of their own position.

(25 Sep 2023, 3:27 pm)Adrian wrote Unite are looking after the interests of their members, which is the purpose of a Trade Union. It's the purpose of a business, such as Go North East, to look after the interests of their customers.

(25 Sep 2023, 7:49 pm)Adrian wrote It doesn't work like that. Whilst an employer has to give you at least the statutory amount of leave, they can tell you when you can and can't use it. In terms of bus operators, I think they all allocate blocks out amongst their workforce for the leave year.

What happens elsewhere, where workers generally have more flexibility over when to take annual leave, is employers will refuse any *new* annual leave requests when a strike is called. It's their prerogative to do so, but they have to ensure you still take the statutory amount of leave in a leave year. Any already booked leave is honoured.

For those new leave requests, unions would not normally challenge this, as it's as bad as scabbing to book annual leave to avoid striking.

What GNE does for those they've already allocated leave to remains to be seen. Of course if someone has one of those leave blocks, and they have no holidays planned, there's nothing stopping them striking and it'd be up to the company to allocate them another block of leave.


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(25 Sep 2023, 9:47 pm)balise33 wrote The purpose of a business like Go North East is to deliver for its shareholders, not its customers.

(25 Sep 2023, 9:59 pm)streetdeckfan wrote Presumably they'd just cancel the holiday, as long as they give the length of the holiday plus one day it's perfectly allowed.

(26 Sep 2023, 5:33 am)Ianthegoon wrote If I've got holiday booked, it's because I'm doing something with that time off.
If an employer then cancelled it like that, you can rest assured I'm going to be on the picket lines with a flaming torch and a pitchfork!

(25 Sep 2023, 10:50 am)mb134 wrote "Depots affected are Consett, Gateshead, Hexham, Percy Main (North Shields), Sunderland and Washington."

That is all depots right? I'd have thought it would be easier to communicate that all depots are impacted rather than listing a bunch of places, given most members of the public will have zero idea which depot runs their service and may think their service could still be running?

(27 Sep 2023, 12:35 pm)Michael wrote 5 hours ago:

Update on strike action: Wednesday 27 September

We are sorry to inform our passengers that talks with Unite are still ongoing.

Two weeks of strike action is planned for the following dates:

• Saturday 30 September - Friday 6 October inclusive
• Saturday 14 October - Friday 20 October inclusive

Depots affected are Consett, Gateshead, Hexham, Percy Main (North Shields), Sunderland and Washington.

These strikes will significantly impact our services and our advice to passengers is to make alternative travel arrangements.

We will do our best to run as many of our school services during the strikes as we can. These services can be found on our website https://gonortheast.co.uk/services/school-buses

We remain engaged in talks with Unite and are committed to finding a resolution that averts strike action.

(29 Sep 2023, 8:28 am)Storx wrote Must say it's pretty impressive, for how s**t GoNorthEast is, that they've announced with 20 hours notice that there's no bus service at all after giving the impression there was going to be at least some form of limited service.

Horrid, horrid communication, queue the complaints big time and deservably so.

No doubt, it's to cause backlash against the driver's though as it's the sort of scummy tactics that the inept management seem to go for lately.

(29 Sep 2023, 9:10 am)DeltaMan wrote The webpage on the GNE website stated on Monday, and I quote "....our Skelton service will focus predominantly on ensuring that school services operate where possible". 

If I'm a user of the 21 or 56 service, my takeaway from that is my service would not be running.

(29 Sep 2023, 9:20 am)Adrian wrote Would you want to be on a bus driven by a scab? No thanks.

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(29 Sep 2023, 9:20 am)Adrian wrote Would you want to be on a bus driven by a scab? No thanks.

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(29 Sep 2023, 9:58 am)Shrek wrote If a driver has chosen against striking then I'd respect his decision. I'm betting there will be some drivers who support the strikers, but simply can't afford to strike themselves.

 I'd also happily get on the bus if it got me to where I needed to be. I can still be behind the workers, while also needing to get to where I need to be. I guarantee if I strike at any point, the drivers would likely still be happy to speak to my none striking colleagues. Life goes on for everyone.

Personally I'm fully behind the drivers and staff who are striking. But I do hate the unions making villans of those who choose not to

(29 Sep 2023, 9:58 am)Shrek wrote If a driver has chosen against striking then I'd respect his decision. I'm betting there will be some drivers who support the strikers, but simply can't afford to strike themselves.

 I'd also happily get on the bus if it got me to where I needed to be. I can still be behind the workers, while also needing to get to where I need to be. I guarantee if I strike at any point, the drivers would likely still be happy to speak to my none striking colleagues. Life goes on for everyone.

Personally I'm fully behind the drivers and staff who are striking. But I do hate the unions making villans of those who choose not to.