Brighton’s bus drivers are set to strike over two days next month in a dispute over pay.
Drivers working for Brighton and Hove Buses, which runs most of the city’s buses, and for Metrobus voted to reject a 3.5 per cent pay rise – which they say is a real terms pay cut.
More than 1,200 members of the Unite union working across the two companies, both owned by the Go Ahead group, were balloted for strike action last month.
Unite says this is about 80-85% of the workforce and more than 90% of those balloted voted yes. The union has now set two dates for walkouts – Monday, 6 October and Wednesday, 15 October.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is an insulting pay offer – our members aren’t asking for a King’s ransom but are being asked to accept while Brighton and Crawley bus parent companies make millions and siphon money to overseas shareholders.
“Our members have Unite’s unwavering support in their campaign for a fair pay deal.”
Unite regional officer Janet Nobbs said: “Our members do an incredibly stressful job, driving at all times of day and night, in all weathers throughout the year.
“They keep Brighton and Crawley’s workers and students moving.
“Yet the company has seen fit to try to impose a real terms pay cut which is simply unacceptable. Unless the company comes back to the table with a dramatically improved offer our members will have been left with no option but to take strike action.
“The bus company has brought this on themselves with their penny-pinching approach to workforce relations.”
Ed Wills, the managing director of Brighton and Hove Buses and Metrobus, told the BBC that two pay increases had been offered since July.
Mr Wills said that, in the most recent negotiation, the company had offered a 4.6 per cent pay increase, alongside back pay of 5 per cent to the start of July.
He added: “This is higher or equal to all current measures of inflation. We are keen to ensure our team receive a pay increase this year.
“This 4.6 per cent offer would equate to a 33.5 per cent increase in our driver rates over four years.
“Currently drivers earn on average £36,000 in Brighton and Hove and £38,000 in Crawley after six weeks and before this latest offer is applied.”
Bus drivers earn more than B5 roles in the NHS, including paramedics, staff nurses, physiotherapists, and midwives on average, who also “do an incredibly stressful job, driving at all times of day and night, in all weathers throughout the year.”
Personally, I don’t think it’s the right conversation to have, nor should we pit professions against each other. The issue is the inequality in taxation. Just getting rents to LHA level could save people several thousand, far more impactful than a pay rise.
Surely you’ve just pitted ‘professions against each other’ and when people are at similar relatively low pay levels taxation isn’t the problem!
Yes, which is why I qualified it by saying “I don’t think it’s the right conversation to have”. It is a criticism of the union’s wording.
Taxation is definitely the problem, though. I disagree with you completely on that one. Are you aware of the concept of fiscal drag? More and more people pulled into higher bands without real wage growth. And since poverty is primarily measured through income-to-rent ratios, reducing housing costs (or fixing taxation) makes far more difference than a pay claim.
To put it in numbers, switching rents to LHA level would be over three times more financially beneficial than the union’s proposed pay rise here. Approximately £3,600 compared to £1,000. And would benefit all people of Brighton, not just our hard-working bus drivers.
Bus fares so high whose is benefitting from this (clearly not the staff)
£6 for a Allday saver isn’t bad, Worthing is £8.50 and Isle of Wight is £11
The Drivers put up with a lot, especially school children that cram on at 3pm
I think it’s work conditions-on how many journeys each way before they get a break, how long a break-and lunch.
Drivers need like a Canteen at the Depo’s or vending machines.
No idea what there Rotas are like-maybe that’s worth a review
Even though there are strikes on those days is there a Limited service or no service on the Buses.
The NHS is a government organisation, Brighton and Hove busses is a private, foreign-owned company that makes millions of Pounds profit every year.
Is that a strong reason for inequality between these two professions?
Higher demand for wage increase, the more inflation will rise, always has.
Benji off again using ai and passing his answers off as his own thoughts 🤔
Brighton and Hove buses declared £12 million profits last year. Where did the money go i wonder?
I agree with you here. I posed the same question when B&H Buses raised the fares, citing that they needed to do that to maintain profitability.
We know how much they earn it’s on the back of the bus then they get all the enhancements no doubt just like our poorly paid doctors having to sit begging on their days off i’d sack the lot of the bus drivers as most of them are rude and have an attitude problem perhaps , the migrants can take over and this company is the worst bus service in the northern hemisphere
I’ve never had any problem. Drivers do an incredible job, day and night and especially at school turning out time. Some behaviour by pent up teenagers…..
Remember the days of having a conductor to do crowd control? Now it’s down to one driver.
B and H staff are worth every penny.
Will all the buses be off the road or will management be driving some routes as people still need to go to hospital appointments etc and not everyone can afford taxis as we are so badly off like the poor bus drivers sack the lot of them