(09 Nov 2023, 1:30 pm)streetdeckfan wrote And that leaflet posted by Unite wasn't a load of propaganda?
Both sides are as bad as each other.
As for the strike being a last resort, I'm not buying that, if Unite weren't handing out cash to the drivers do you think they'd have voted for the strike?
While the drivers are obviously suffering a financial loss going on strike, it's nowhere near as bad as they'd want you to think.
As I've said before, GNE have absolutely no incentive to give in to the demands.
They're already making a loss, they don't even have enough money to pay the drivers their current wages never mind more. Sure the group that owns them are making absolute bank, but why would they hand out cash to little GNE that's only going to go down the drain.
Surely from the group's point of view they're better off cutting their losses?
Even if GNE give in and give them whatever pay rise they want, where is that money going to come from? Seriously?
They can't increase their fares because of the £2 cap.
Day ticket prices (which I believe make up a substantial proportion of their income, although I'm happy to be corrected) are being slashed with the new TNE tickets.
Passenger numbers still aren't back to 'normal'.
They're running near end of life buses on front line services, with no funds to replace them.
So again I ask, where does the money come from?
The only answer I can think of is cuts to services. And what happens when they cut services, they don't need as many drivers.
Now, maybe my Tory brain is too smooth to understand, so I'm being genuine here when I ask, how do you envisage them getting out of this pickle they're in?
There won't be a bus service until GoNorthEast back their demands, it's as simple as that. A large chunk of drivers wouldn't give a toss if they got made redundant, they'd walk along to the nearest Stagecoach, Arriva or whoever replaces the buses GoNorthEast have scrapped and get the exact same job with a nice bonus to boot.
There's no loyalty to GoNorthEast, it's a shit company to work for, unlike on this forum. They don't care if buses don't run, they don't care if Betty can't get to the shops, they don't care if Ben Maxfield got sacked tomorrow, they don't care about GoNorthEast full stop. They just want a better wage to cover up the shit they have to put up with.
GoAhead getting arid of GoNorthEast and sending Ben Maxfield and the rest of the management to Manchester would be the best to happen for North East bus transport. They've been the worst operator up here for awhile but gullable people on here have been missing everything because they had an open day, painted a few buses or updated a few fleetlists to keep people about with a lot of whataboutery why other North East operators are worse.