(06 Nov 2023, 7:11 pm)Iamtheone8483748 wrote Go North East bosses dismayed as Unite ‘talks walkout’ creates misery for passengers
Today Mon 6th Nov 2023
Talks held today, brokered by the reconciliation service ACAS, aimed at resolving the Go North East driver pay dispute that has been ongoing for weeks ended in huge disappointment as Unite staged a walkout after four hours.
Unite demanded pay rises every six months in return for calling off their strike before refusing to continue talks. The stunt dashes hopes that unions were willing to reach a deal to end the strike and restore bus services.
Go North East sought a dialogue on proposals, but negotiations ended after four hours when Unite representatives walked out.
Go North East business director, Ben Maxfield said, “Today, Unite demanded six monthly pay increases: as well as rises backdated to July 2023, and another in July 2024, Unite are now insisting on an additional pay increase on 1 January 2024. All increases they say, must be higher than anything already on the table.
“Passengers are facing unacceptable levels of hardship. But instead of a constructive dialogue all we get from the local Unite representatives is a set of moving goal posts, escalating demands, and a succession of U-turns.”
Ben Maxfield added, “We persuaded ACAS to became involved in talks weeks ago and even they have struggled to keep Unite at the negotiating table. I think that says it all.
“This dispute, this strike, is entirely of Unite’s making. All we want is for the local union representatives to work constructively and collaboratively with us to secure a resolution.
“New demands for six-monthly pay rises will only add to mounting anger within the workforce, and from the public, over Unite’s handling of negotiations. It is impossible to negotiate with a union hell bent on disruption rather than dialogue.”
The company’s offer of a 10.3% pay increase would make the drivers the best-paid in the region. For drivers working a standard week annual pay would rise by almost £2,700 yearly, with an hourly rate of £14.15. Drivers who chose to work overtime stand to gain over £3,000 per year. Drivers who choose to work a 41-hour week will earn £30,000 per year.
Ben Maxfield said, “Coming on the back of the 10% increase our drivers received in July last year, our offer means they will have had a 20% pay rise in just over a year.
“Unite had been hanging their hat on references to North East drivers ‘earning less’ than their counterparts in Manchester. However, Manchester drivers work to far more flexible scheduling rules. Unite confirmed to us today that they would not want to swap their package of wages and conditions for that of Manchester or anywhere else. They want to keep their conditions as they are now.”
https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/go-north-e...passengers
I've just read this in parallel with the Unite statement.
What a stark contrast in language used alone. Go North East seem insistent on waging down this road of a culture war between them and the Union representing it's workers. Maxfield's language is inflammatory and down-right insulting. To suggest "This dispute, this strike, is entirely of Unite’s making." is an outrageous claim. You'd never have a dispute without a bad employer.
They're also hanging on to this productivity nonsense about Go North East versus Go North West. Why do these companies think that better pay can only be achieved, if you're willing to sell your soul to the company? I wonder what Christian gave up for his £8,333 a month relocation payment, before he gave his notice? My bet is nothing, as when it comes to cost-cutting, it's always the people at the bottom that seem to be the problem.
Unite's statement on the other hand is straight to the point and publicly suggests a way out, which I'd say is contrary to GNE have put out. They claim that "We persuaded ACAS to became involved in talks weeks ago and even they have struggled to keep Unite at the negotiating table. I think that says it all.". IMO that's a bit misleading and it's really not how ACAS conciliation services work. See here: https://www.acas.org.uk/collective-conciliation
From my own experiences of having been through this process (on a TU side), both the employer and TU negotiating teams will be held in separate meeting rooms. There'll also be a third, which is used and chaired by the conciliator (from ACAS). The TU side will normally put on the table what they think it'd take to resolve the dispute. The employer side will make a counter proposal, and it'll go back and forth for a bit until there's something close. During this time, you'll keep meeting in the joint room and going back to your own room to discuss as a negotiating team. So whilst you can 'walk out' of the process, in practice, it'd only happen at the point which the other side are either not being serious or they're point blank refusing to even come close the the settlement point.
Maybe Nigel and Ben's tactics are to try and turn the public on their own employees. If they're not going to have enough bad blood in the depot with strike breakers, maybe they think the next best thing is to create the maximum amount of hostility all-round? Way to go, when you're already in an industry with rock-bottom morale and one you already struggle to get people to work for you...