Glasgow bus drivers to be balloted for industrial action

On October 19, the return of a consultative ballot showed that 99 per cent of Unite’s members working for First Bus Glasgow rejected a pay offer in a 70 per cent turnout.

The ballot is expected to open on November 1 and close on November 15.

Why could the drivers be going on strike?

Unite highlighted the increasing number of bus drivers who are leaving the bus industry to find better paid jobs elsewhere, which it claims is having negative knock-on effects on the availability of bus services and routes.

The trade union has warned that due to low pay, shift work, and poor terms and conditions across the bus industry that driver shortages are now becoming ‘endemic’ in certain areas of the nation.

What is Unite saying?

Wendy Dunsmore, Unite industrial officer, said: “First Glasgow drivers have worked from the beginning of this pandemic to ensure that essential workers could get to their work at risk to themselves, and their families. More than 1300 drivers gave up their anticipated pay rise in 2020 because of the crisis and understood the situation the company was facing. Then our members agreed to forego their next scheduled pay rise in April 2021. The reality is that our members will now have worked with no pay rise for nearly two years, which is unacceptable. They have gone the extra mile and they deserve better.

“There is a growing shortage of bus drivers across Scotland which is becoming endemic in certain areas of the nation. We are increasingly concerned that drivers have secured better jobs elsewhere resulting in bus services being slashed across Glasgow, and it is expected that further cuts to services are imminent. It’s an outrage that the citizens of Glasgow who rely on these services are being badly affected because of First Glasgow’s desire to pay shareholders dividends, rather than to recruit and retain good and experienced drivers.”