Bus News

I've just had an email from Bob Crow. Not a personal one, of course, just a round-robin for RMT members. Its contents might well affect us all in Millbrook or, at least, those of us who use the buses.

"BUS WORKERS union RMT announced today that it has begun balloting on First Devon and Cornwall for strike action and action short of a strike in a dispute over the axing of essential staff transport.

In May, the company announced that it was withdrawing its “Staff Trooper” service for employees. The “Staff Trooper” was a bus operating in the early mornings to get staff to work and has been part of the working conditions since before the privatisation of services.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

“Many of our members relied on the Staff Trooper to get to work and the company have refused point-blank to enter in to dialogue with RMT to either change their decision or modify their proposals.

“This is a purely penny-pinching measure at a time when First Group profits have risen by 14.3% in the last year as a result of our members hard work. Instead of rewarding their staff the company have instead decided to launch this attack on their working conditions.

“As a result we have had no option but to ballot our First Devon and Cornwall members at Plymouth for both strike action and action short of a strike.” "

So - there's a possibility of disruption to the 81C and other services. Inconvenient this might be, but I sincerely hope that all bus users will realise who is at fault here. And it ain't the bus workers or the union.


Go on, bus workers - vote yes and give your union the strength it needs to make the arses in charge back down.