(19 Nov 2023, 9:53 am)DeltaMan wrote I wouldn't be surprised then if that sort of duty is used as a "this is what they want to do is" thing. Without the context it looks very bad.
This is exactly the type of narrative being employed here, and it’s far from what the company is trying to achieve.
Under Martijn Gilbert’s running of the company, an independent rota review was undertaken in which drivers gave feedback on how they would like these to be adjusted to allow a better work/life balance.
The results were such that no changes could be made that would suit everyone, but it proved that some of the terms and conditions at Go North East actually prevented better duties and rotas being designed.
Martijn then left the business - as did most others involved in the rota review, with an almost entirely new commercial team now in place at Go North East and several new General Managers - and no progress was made on implementing these improvements.
Behind the scenes, sheet reps at some depots have since seen what movement on some existing terms and conditions can have upon their duties and rotas and have openly admitted that they are some of the best rotas they have ever seen, but because they do not conform to existing agreements, would not be accepted. Lo and behold, a proposal arose to introduce some changes to terms and conditions…
Perhaps wrongly linked to pay talks, this proposal was then taken off the table and agreed with Unite that discussions could be held individually with each depot to demonstrate once more the improvements which can be made by switching on/off and moving certain conditions which presently hinder the compilation of better duties and rotas, being agreed by Unite prior to any changes being introduced meaning that the pay deal is ‘no strings attached’ and completely separate to any discussion around terms and conditions. The media spin on this is that this was then the company targeting drivers on a depot-by-depot basis so that they did not have as big a voice.
The media spin is that Go North East is trying to force drivers to work long shifts with 5.5 hour driving portions. By and large, this is impossible to achieve due to Go North East’s long-distance services and complex interworking patterns meaning that a lot of services cycle in 4-4.5 hours (so it would be impossible to do another trip) - but logic is being taken out of arguments in the media.
A few days ago, Ambassador mentioned that employee forums are conducted at his place of work, which allows more constructive discussion to take place with management of the organisation he works at. The bus industry is so heavily unionised that this would be difficult to achieve at Go North East, especially in the current climate, but I dare say would have resulted in more meaningful and productive discussions to improve drivers’ work/life balance than what we have witnessed unfold over the last few months.
Alas, the dispute continues, drivers continue not to reap the rewards of a better work/life balance, and people’s lives continue to be disrupted…
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