Bus drivers vote for strike action (From Bournemouth Echo)

No difference to services then?

More info please... are they imposing what amounts to "split shifts"? (They went out with the ark). Does this mean that a driver can legally abandon his bus, mid-route, and claim that "It is my meal-break, I am no longer responsible for the bus, and cannot drive it as I am not insured, I am off-duty on meal break..."? C'mon, Wilts & Dorset, what's the real problem? The Echo story says diddley-squat in facts.

Now get the teachers to strike and the roads will be empty,
no buses or school runs!!

The tip of the ice berg..when employers start to impose changes to employment rights for the betterment of the services they provide to the public it's a slippery process of diminishing workers rights. Strike action is the only course employees have to protect themselves, sadly in this age of austerity imposed by central government there will be more of this to come.

Lewcee wrote:
More info please... are they imposing what amounts to "split shifts"? (They went out with the ark). Does this mean that a driver can legally abandon his bus, mid-route, and claim that "It is my meal-break, I am no longer responsible for the bus, and cannot drive it as I am not insured, I am off-duty on meal break..."? C'mon, Wilts & Dorset, what's the real problem? The Echo story says diddley-squat in facts.

split shifts do still exsist at w&d. though most of these shifts are worked by those who wish to do so. and, no,a driver cannot abandon his bus. what a stupid comment!!

rich53 wrote:
Now get the teachers to strike and the roads will be empty,
no buses or school runs!!

Good point, clearly the removal of buses will obviously reduce traffic on our roads. Next time you drive past a bus count the passengers v your car and work the rest out yourself!

cutting routes if drivers dont oblige, i say the government needs to enforce the need to provide a decent reliable public transport, i hardly think go ahead are in trouble, what did the new fleet of m1/2's cost? dont see many new buses on yellow? go to berlin pay 6 euros 20 cents per day for unlimited any mode of public transport til 3am. go ahead seem to be progressive but forcing staff to take down grades in rights and standards is a miserable out dated management style that i have no respect for. its a load of rubbish go ahead, sort your selves out and look after your staff!

In all my 50 years of working life I never got paid for my meal breaks.
I also worked shifts as and when required especially as it was explained to me beforehand what the terms and conditions were.
I never joined a union either but have never minded those who do. What I would like to see however is that every time any union ballots its members and a strike results the union staff should get the same money as the strikers.

Mocov1 wrote:

rich53 wrote:
Now get the teachers to strike and the roads will be empty,
no buses or school runs!!

Good point, clearly the removal of buses will obviously reduce traffic on our roads. Next time you drive past a bus count the passengers v your car and work the rest out yourself!

Next time you are stuck in a traffic jam between Ashley road, Parkstone and Bournemouth town centre count the number of W&D + yellow buses in the traffic with NOT many people on.

billd766 wrote:
In all my 50 years of working life I never got paid for my meal breaks.
I also worked shifts as and when required especially as it was explained to me beforehand what the terms and conditions were.
I never joined a union either but have never minded those who do. What I would like to see however is that every time any union ballots its members and a strike results the union staff should get the same money as the strikers.

I have never been paid for my meal breaks either. Lucky bus drivers. Perhaps I should go on strike to get my breaks paid for.

Companies large and small have the right to recognise a union membership if a third of the company employees request union ergo notion. This is where negotiations take place for workers rights once agreed any changes made by the employer for whatever reason has to be renegotiated with the respective unions and their employees to do so without such negotiation is undermines employer union relations and strike action usually results. Unions do not call out a strike for the love of it as employees do not get paid while on industrial action, but is a message to employers that conditions imposed are unfair or unjust.

justsayithowitis wrote:

billd766 wrote:
In all my 50 years of working life I never got paid for my meal breaks.
I also worked shifts as and when required especially as it was explained to me beforehand what the terms and conditions were.
I never joined a union either but have never minded those who do. What I would like to see however is that every time any union ballots its members and a strike results the union staff should get the same money as the strikers.

I have never been paid for my meal breaks either. Lucky bus drivers. Perhaps I should go on strike to get my breaks paid for.

I believe if you worked for more than 5 hours continuous you were entiled to 10 min paid break.

Lord Spring wrote:

justsayithowitis wrote:

billd766 wrote:
In all my 50 years of working life I never got paid for my meal breaks.
I also worked shifts as and when required especially as it was explained to me beforehand what the terms and conditions were.
I never joined a union either but have never minded those who do. What I would like to see however is that every time any union ballots its members and a strike results the union staff should get the same money as the strikers.

I have never been paid for my meal breaks either. Lucky bus drivers. Perhaps I should go on strike to get my breaks paid for.

I believe if you worked for more than 5 hours continuous you were entiled to 10 min paid break.

PSV and HGV drivers are governed by the working time directive.
Their rights to breaks come under the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations and the Tachograph regulations and tend to be more generous and which need to take into account issues of fatigue.

W+D drivers do not get paid meal breaks except in special circumstances
Split shifts have to be worked by most drivers at some time or another whether they wish to or not, a small bonus is paid for this.
Night bus drivers are paid a shift 'bonus',
originally offered as an inducement for unsociable hours and carrying 'late night revellers' ( would you want to?), this has been drastically reduced.
Coincidently when 'free' wi-fi was introduced last year W+D managment issued a statement saying that fares would not be increased to pay for it but only if the drivers insisted on a pay rise or fuel costs went up up. There has been no pay increase and fuel is bought months in advance at a very favorable price .

buickboy wrote:
W+D drivers do not get paid meal breaks except in special circumstances
Split shifts have to be worked by most drivers at some time or another whether they wish to or not, a small bonus is paid for this.
Night bus drivers are paid a shift 'bonus',
originally offered as an inducement for unsociable hours and carrying 'late night revellers' ( would you want to?), this has been drastically reduced.
Coincidently when 'free' wi-fi was introduced last year W+D managment issued a statement saying that fares would not be increased to pay for it but only if the drivers insisted on a pay rise or fuel costs went up up. There has been no pay increase and fuel is bought months in advance at a very favorable price .

fares went up on Sunday 3rd feb 2013.....but still bad timekeeping on M2 in mornings and not always a wi-fi bus!!!

justsayithowitis wrote:

billd766 wrote:
In all my 50 years of working life I never got paid for my meal breaks.
I also worked shifts as and when required especially as it was explained to me beforehand what the terms and conditions were.
I never joined a union either but have never minded those who do. What I would like to see however is that every time any union ballots its members and a strike results the union staff should get the same money as the strikers.

I have never been paid for my meal breaks either. Lucky bus drivers. Perhaps I should go on strike to get my breaks paid for.

Typical race to the bottom daily mail comment. I don't get it nor should you!

often made by office staff who only work monday - friday 9-5ish, get bank holidays off, get to choose when they have their leave, maybe get a bit of photcopying done, or a few private letters sent or maybe a bit of internet access.

All jobs have their perks and their draw backs. attacking others for trying to keep their few perks just because you don't get the same is very weak!

I am not a bus driver but I do get my meal breaks paid, i however do not get any of the "perks" listed above however I wont tell you because I don't have it nor should you!!!!!