(13 Nov 2023, 4:23 pm)Aaron21 wrote Nice to see them buying brownie points towards the public so they blame the drivers and side with management. Nigel is really just trying absolutely anything at this point to not do a deal. Especially since he won't talk to January. It's really comical now how he's acting. My opinion so go in a huff if you don't like it

I can't see the majority of the public suddenly viewing GNE positively just because they are running a handful of routes for a small portion of the off-peak daytime.  I think GNE deserve a bit of credit here - it would've been easy to just keep running basically nothing and while others are right this won't help workers, it will massively help some of the most vulnerable, socially isolated who rely on public transport to get to a bit of basic human engagement.  Yes it's not much but this does come across to me as the first decent thing GNE have done in this sorry debacle.

(13 Nov 2023, 4:32 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote I can't see the majority of the public suddenly viewing GNE positively just because they are running a handful of routes for a small portion of the off-peak daytime.  I think GNE deserve a bit of credit here - it would've been easy to just keep running basically nothing and while others are right this won't help workers, it will massively help some of the most vulnerable, socially isolated who rely on public transport to get to a bit of basic human engagement.  Yes it's not much but this does come across to me as the first decent thing GNE have done in this sorry debacle.

I agree if they ran services that are not connected to anything. The massive one being the X1. At least run it to Houghton from Gateshead

Don’t be so ungrateful


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(13 Nov 2023, 4:32 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote I can't see the majority of the public suddenly viewing GNE positively just because they are running a handful of routes for a small portion of the off-peak daytime.  I think GNE deserve a bit of credit here - it would've been easy to just keep running basically nothing and while others are right this won't help workers, it will massively help some of the most vulnerable, socially isolated who rely on public transport to get to a bit of basic human engagement.  Yes it's not much but this does come across to me as the first decent thing GNE have done in this sorry debacle.

It's just shows more incompetence to me as by going by the times it's the school bus drivers running stuff rather than sitting around doing nothing all day. 

This should've been done from day 1 if they were going to do it. 

Also I hope the drivers get abuse for being a bunch of scabs. No respect from me.

(13 Nov 2023, 4:37 pm)adavies3774 wrote Don’t be so ungrateful


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Nigel? Is that you?

(13 Nov 2023, 4:45 pm)Storx wrote It's just shows more incompetence to me as by going by the times it's the school bus drivers running stuff rather than sitting around doing nothing all day. 

This should've been done from day 1 if they were going to do it. 

Also I hope the drivers get abuse for being a bunch of scabs. No respect from me.

Understand the strength of feeling around strikes, but don't think anyone should be subjected to abuse, ever.

(13 Nov 2023, 5:24 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote Understand the strength of feeling around strikes, but don't think anyone should be subjected to abuse, ever.

Yes, I totally agree with you. You can't have a situation where you're inciting abuse towards workers. It makes you as bad as what the management are doing with their comms.

Whatever we think about strikebreakers, they'll be dealt with internally within depot workforces. They always are. There's no reason for anyone outside of that to get involved.

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Damned if they do, damned if they don’t on this one.

(13 Nov 2023, 5:41 pm)Adrian wrote Yes, I totally agree with you. You can't have a situation where you're inciting abuse towards workers. It makes you as bad as what the management are doing with their comms.

Whatever we think about strikebreakers, they'll be dealt with internally within depot workforces. They always are. There's no reason for anyone outside of that to get involved.

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Doesn't sound like a very professional work environment to me

(13 Nov 2023, 6:01 pm)DeltaMan wrote Doesn't sound like a very professional work environment to me

Putting out comms and press releases that could potentially incite abuse towards drivers from customers? I agree, it's disgraceful.

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(13 Nov 2023, 6:20 pm)Adrian wrote Putting out comms and press releases that could potentially incite abuse towards drivers from customers? I agree, it's disgraceful.

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I agree that the communications from the management have been disgraceful. Anyone who harasses or abuses members of the workforce who chose not to strike are just as bad. 

Typical of these situations though. Both sides have gone full Braverman and tried to raise the divide rather than closing it.

(13 Nov 2023, 4:45 pm)Storx wrote It's just shows more incompetence to me as by going by the times it's the school bus drivers running stuff rather than sitting around doing nothing all day. 

This should've been done from day 1 if they were going to do it. 

Also I hope the drivers get abuse for being a bunch of scabs. No respect from me.

So basically, you want this to be a lose-lose situation for both the strikers and the non-strikers.

(13 Nov 2023, 5:24 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote Understand the strength of feeling around strikes, but don't think anyone should be subjected to abuse, ever.

Aye, just to be clear, that was from staff working at the company not customers. Customers should never abuse workers, probably came out wrong.

Genuine question as I don't know the answer: is every GNE employee (at least among drivers) a member of Unite? If not, wouldn't non-union staff have to go to work as they don't have any legal protection from dismissal?

I live near one of the depots and it was chaos one afternoon last week when I walked past as buses were pulling out of the depot (presumably to do the school services). I ended up having to walk in the middle of the road, dodging cars while attempting to walk between moving buses and striking Unite members to get back on the pavement. I did wonder who it was driving the buses out of the depot and whether they were union or non union staff.

They shouldn't be blocking the pavement completely...

Roger French suggesting Unite should buy GNE given they are awash with cash. What a man

(14 Nov 2023, 7:12 am)idiot wrote They shouldn't be blocking the pavement completely...

They weren't but normally I would walk pavement - off pavement, across entrance to bus depot - back on pavement. It was around the entrance to the bus depot and just off the main road where the buses / strikers were. The only way I could cross that entrance was to walk into the middle of the road and then pass in front of a (slow) moving bus and around some strikers. Otherwise I would have been standing in the middle of moving traffic (or stuck on the pavement for goodness knows how long as there were a number of buses waiting to exit onto the main road). The main body of strikers were stood on the pavement across the road from the main depot.

according to the wreckenton Facebook group and x1 was seen heading to town this morning with no passengers on!

as in the X1 bus? that would make sense

Yeah, saw a 20 leave park lane earlier. No one on.

i think these are just going to lose GNE more money

Further Go North East talks fail to resolve pay dispute

Go North East unwilling to increase pay offer – strikes to continue

Further talks aimed at bringing the continuous bus strikes in the North East to an end have ended in a stalemate, Unite can reveal today (14 November 2023).

Talks between Unite and Go North East management took place earlier today but a failure by Go North East to increase its pay offer ultimately meant that the talks ended without any resolution. Bus strikes across Go North East network will continue indefinitely.

Unite is prepared to return to talks at any stage and engage in constructive negotiations but this requires good faith from both parties.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Go North East’s utter unwillingness to improve its pay offer in the slightest shows its blatant disregard for the wellbeing of its workers and the communities they serve.

“Go North East could end the strikes with a stroke of a pen by utilising the merest fraction of its profits but it is choosing not to do so.”

Unite regional coordinating officer Suzanne Reid added: “Unite remains open and willing to enter into negotiations at any time to bring this dispute to an end.”

While on a service earlier today, where the driver very kindly agreed to drop me at an intermediate stop that service wouldn’t usually call at, I was sat in front of a guy who was talking on his phone. From his conversation it sounded like he may have been a GNE employee as he was talking about which services he’d be on later (unless he was a spotter out for a ride), but he then went on to say there’d be more running next week. 
Not sure if that’s maybe more services or just more boards on the current ones but either way if true, good news for passengers, or some at least.

(I realise this is as good as hearsay until confirmed by official comms so take it with a pinch of salt).

anyone seen any busy buses today GNE wise?

One of the Yutongs on the 29 had about 10 passengers on it, although I got the impression that a few of those were spotters. The Streetlite on the 29 was completely empty when I got on it and didn't have more than 5 passengers on it the entire journey.
I think the buses will get busier over the next few days as people who haven't seen the press release begin to notice that some buses are running again.

(14 Nov 2023, 4:24 pm)Unber43 wrote anyone seen any busy buses today GNE wise?

A midday X45 had about 20 on the lower saloon. I didn’t see upstairs.

(14 Nov 2023, 4:24 pm)Unber43 wrote anyone seen any busy buses today GNE wise?

Saw 6224 approaching Eldon Square on an incoming X45 after 2pm and it looked empty then it went back out not in service


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(14 Nov 2023, 7:26 pm)TEN 6083 wrote Saw 6224 approaching Eldon Square on an incoming X45 after 2pm and it looked empty then it went back out not in service


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Not many people will be popping into town on the last bus when they can't get home again.

My only spot from my sofa (since none of the emergency buses pass us) was a red X-lines, OOS, heading the wrong way through the bus gate.

(14 Nov 2023, 4:35 pm)Dan_NCL wrote One of the Yutongs on the 29 had about 10 passengers on it, although I got the impression that a few of those were spotters. The Streetlite on the 29 was completely empty when I got on it and didn't have more than 5 passengers on it the entire journey.
I think the buses will get busier over the next few days as people who haven't seen the press release begin to notice that some buses are running again.

Not sure about that as they're pretty much unusable if you have a job because of their hours. Apart from pensioners there's not going to be much demand and they'll not find the timetables as they're not web/app savy.

While I'm grateful they've offered some services, in my honest opinion however, they seem to be content with the strike. While they've been drafting emergency timetables, they could've been negotiating. Don't get me wrong, it'll be different staff that's responsible for timetabling, but they could at least put more effort into resolving the strikes. Neither party seems to be regularly communicating with passengers and that's just a PR disaster itself. It would be nice to know what's gonna happen over Christmas since I've got family to visit, and I'd imagine many other people will too! If I go to see one side of the family, I'll be stuck there for the festive season as other modes of transport will cripple my finances.