Arriva Bus Drivers

[justbecause]

According to a report in the Southport Visitor, Arriva bus drivers have refused to accept a pay offer of more than £12 per hour. Given that they have agreed to strike for nine days before Christmas, that will be a loss of around £1000 each. Even if Arriva was to offer them another 50p per hour, which is very unlikely, do they not realise that it would take them a full year, just to get back the £1k they have lost in nine days of striking.

£12 per hour isn’t a bad wage for a bus driver, given that they are home in their own beds every night. There are many HGV drivers out there who are spending five and six nights a week, away from home and their families, sleeping in their cabs, and only getting £12 an hour. I’m sure that there are many many people out there working for the minimum wage, who would gladly jump at the chance of earning the kind of money that bus drivers are rejecting.

[Ceam]

According to a report in the Southport Visitor, Arriva bus drivers have refused to accept a pay offer of more than £12 per hour. Given that they have agreed to strike for nine days before Christmas, that will be a loss of around £1000 each. Even if Arriva was to offer them another 50p per hour, which is very unlikely, do they not realise that it would take them a full year, just to get back the £1k they have lost in nine days of striking.

£12 per hour isn’t a bad wage for a bus driver, given that they are home in their own beds every night. There are many HGV drivers out there who are spending five and six nights away from home and their families, sleeping in their cabs, and only getting £12 an hour. I’m sure that there are many many people out there working for the minimum wage, who would gladly jump at the chance of earring the kind of money that bus drivers are rejecting.

I'm sure there are, but do they have the ability to be reasonable to drive a bus and look after the people on and around it.

I'm also sure there are a lot of people on a great deal more that have much less responsible jobs.

BTW I've been told that they are being paid while on strike, Not sure if it's there full wage or who by. I wasn't nosey enough to ask.


Apparently there after a pay rise at the same rate as inflation. So not really a pay rise more a pay freeze TBH.

[justbecause]

I'm sure there are, but do they have the ability to be reasonable to drive a bus and look after the people on and around it.

I'm also sure there are a lot of people on a great deal more that have much less responsible jobs.

BTW I've been told that they are being paid while on strike, Not sure if it's there full wage or who by. I wasn't nosey enough to ask.


Apparently there after a pay rise at the same rate as inflation. So not really a pay rise more a pay freeze TBH.

Driving a bus is easy when compared to driving a 44tonne truck. Firstly, buses are self loading, truck drivers will often have to load and unload his truck by hand, and be responsible for securing his load, which can involve roping and sheeting, a skilled job in itself.
Yes, a bus driver has to undergo training, but so do many other professional drivers.

[Ceam]

Driving a bus is easy when compared to driving a 44tonne truck. Firstly, buses are self loading, truck drivers will often have to load and unload his truck by hand, and be responsible for securing his load, which can involve roping and sheeting, a skilled job in itself.
Yes, a bus driver has to undergo training, but so do many other professional drivers.

I don't disagree. Doesn't mean they don't deserve reasonable pay, and a rise that in effect isn't a pay cut.

[said]

According to a report in the Southport Visitor, Arriva bus drivers have refused to accept a pay offer of more than £12 per hour. Given that they have agreed to strike for nine days before Christmas, that will be a loss of around £1000 each. Even if Arriva was to offer them another 50p per hour, which is very unlikely, do they not realise that it would take them a full year, just to get back the £1k they have lost in nine days of striking.

£12 per hour isn’t a bad wage for a bus driver, given that they are home in their own beds every night. There are many HGV drivers out there who are spending five and six nights a week, away from home and their families, sleeping in their cabs, and only getting £12 an hour. I’m sure that there are many many people out there working for the minimum wage, who would gladly jump at the chance of earning the kind of money that bus drivers are rejecting.

But since the minimum pay is now set to rise to almost £8, the amount of money in consideration of their training and responsibilities is not a lot. If the minimum pay keeps on increasing - those who are on more than minimum pay, do not get a pay rise meaning that Bus Drivers would eventually earn equal to those on minimum pay. They need to protect themselves against the stupidity of introducing a 'minimum pay' system.

[silver fox]

According to a report in the Southport Visitor, Arriva bus drivers have refused to accept a pay offer of more than £12 per hour. Given that they have agreed to strike for nine days before Christmas, that will be a loss of around £1000 each. Even if Arriva was to offer them another 50p per hour, which is very unlikely, do they not realise that it would take them a full year, just to get back the £1k they have lost in nine days of striking.

£12 per hour isn’t a bad wage for a bus driver, given that they are home in their own beds every night. There are many HGV drivers out there who are spending five and six nights a week, away from home and their families, sleeping in their cabs, and only getting £12 an hour. I’m sure that there are many many people out there working for the minimum wage, who would gladly jump at the chance of earning the kind of money that bus drivers are rejecting.

Wouldn't regard a report in the Visitor as the Holy Grail, however I am fairly sure that the drivers have worked out the economics of their action and are sufficiently angered to continue their strike actions.

There are too many who are happy to kick out at the unions and anyone taking industrial action, strike action is the last resort of a union and workforce, I have never met anyone who wanted to go out on strike just for the hell of it, if the workforce are treated fairly it would be very difficult indeed for any union to create a strike.

Workers in many cases have had enough of watching pay and conditions of employment being eroded, this is the result.

[said]

Driving a bus is easy when compared to driving a 44tonne truck. Firstly, buses are self loading, truck drivers will often have to load and unload his truck by hand, and be responsible for securing his load, which can involve roping and sheeting, a skilled job in itself.
Yes, a bus driver has to undergo training, but so do many other professional drivers.

Some lorry drivers receive their HGV licence for being able to drive a farm vehicle within the confines of a farm!

[justbecause]

Some lorry drivers receive their HGV licence for being able to drive a farm vehicle within the confines of a farm!

Simply not true, and hasn’t been for 50 years. For someone to aspire to be an HGV Driver, they have to firstly, pass the test for a rigid vehicle and then another test for an articulated vehicle. On top of that, they have to complete a 35 hour Certificate of Competence course, which has to be renewed every five years.

[caveywavey]

According to a report in the Southport Visitor, Arriva bus drivers have refused to accept a pay offer of more than £12 per hour. Given that they have agreed to strike for nine days before Christmas, that will be a loss of around £1000 each. Even if Arriva was to offer them another 50p per hour, which is very unlikely, do they not realise that it would take them a full year, just to get back the £1k they have lost in nine days of striking.

£12 per hour isn’t a bad wage for a bus driver, given that they are home in their own beds every night. There are many HGV drivers out there who are spending five and six nights a week, away from home and their families, sleeping in their cabs, and only getting £12 an hour. I’m sure that there are many many people out there working for the minimum wage, who would gladly jump at the chance of earning the kind of money that bus drivers are rejecting.

As someone who personally knows an Arriva bus driver, as opposed to someone reading the garbage they read in the press, let me put you straight. Not all Arriva employees are paid the same wage. Some depot employees are being paid less than others. The strikes are being brought about by workers who, quite rightly, think all Arriva bus drivers should receive the same fair wage and not because they want more money. If you think they are all tucked up in their beds at night, you are sadly mistaken. They carry out late shifts and early shifts. And theirs is a completely different industry to yours and bears no comparison. They are striking out of principle and out of support for their fellow workers who are being paid less for doing the same job. That, in my eyes, is breaking employment law. I've been paid less than a new employee carrying out the same role as me, and had to fight to be equally paid. I applaud the Arriva drivers for the stance they are taking and I hope they win their cause.

[gazaprop]

Baaaaa Baaaaa Baaaaa - still the weather's turning and all that wool will be handy in the chilly weather. Unions puffing their chests out actually losing money for their members - they might be getting strike pay but it will be a small fraction of what they'd normally earn.

[gazaprop]

'They carry out late shifts and early shifts.'

As do many other workers.

I love Basil Fawlty's take on strikes - if they don't like making cars why don't they get another job - designing cathedrals or composing symphonys?

[said]

Simply not true, and hasn’t been for 50 years. For someone to aspire to be an HGV Driver, they have to firstly, pass the test for a rigid vehicle and then another test for an articulated vehicle. On top of that, they have to complete a 35 hour Certificate of Competence course, which has to be renewed every five years.

That is for a British Lorry driver!

[Alikado]

That is for a British Lorry driver!

Non British Drivers cannot continue driving indefinitely on a foreign licence, they have to take the UK test.

[Ceam]

'They carry out late shifts and early shifts.'

As do many other workers.

I love Basil Fawlty's take on strikes - if they don't like making cars why don't they get another job - designing cathedrals or composing symphonys?

You must have a shockingly poorly paid job and not care about the fact you are on benefits to make up the difference.

[said]

Non British Drivers cannot continue driving indefinitely on a foreign licence, they have to take the UK test.

Is that even if they drive backwards and forwards across the borders? Several of the cars that the Police have towed have been Polish cars.