Go North West

[cnjb8]

Not one but 3 on loan and I presume the versa is staying. From Derby bus depot news page:

Ah, more interesting then

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

If the details on this BBC report are true, then there's some pretty undesirable things happening with this dispute

Manchester bus drivers 'attacked and abused over refusal to strike'

Bus operator Go North West claims its drivers are facing daily harassment over a refusal to strike.

www.bbc.co.uk

Bus drivers who have refused to take part in a strike over pay have faced abuse and intimidation from union activists, an operator has claimed.
Go North West said it wanted to see "respect and restraint" after logging 38 incidents since industrial action began in Manchester on 28 February.
Those include a driver being physically assaulted, rocks being thrown at buses and nails being scattered at a depot.
The Unite union said it had no evidence of intimidation by its members.
In documents shown to the BBC, the company said a union official was spotted filming drivers in their cabs.
The firm said that practice had been copied by other activists, who had filmed a driver from inside and outside their bus and posted the footage online alongside abusive messages.

'Completely unacceptable'​

It said it had received reports of a driver being physically attacked, a worker's partner being verbally abused, the word scab - a term used to refer to company workers who cross picket lines - being daubed on a driver's front door and white paint being poured over a car.
A spokesman for the firm said eggs and rocks had been thrown at buses, vehicle windows had been smashed and nails and screws had been scattered on the road outside a depot.

IMAGE COPYRIGHTGO NORTH WEST
image captionThe word scab was written on the front door of one driver's home
He said working drivers were "facing harassment on a daily basis simply because they are trying to operate a bus service".
"That is completely unacceptable," he said, adding that the company urged activists "to conduct themselves with respect and restraint".
A Unite spokesman said it had no evidence of any officials or members taking part in intimidation.
He added that the union would take action if any member was found to have been involved in such activities.

 

[JetBlast]

That's disgraceful. Why should people be intimidated like that? Reminds me of a dictatorship.

 

[LOL The Irony]

If the details on this BBC report are true, then there's some pretty undesirable things happening with this dispute

Manchester bus drivers 'attacked and abused over refusal to strike'

Bus operator Go North West claims its drivers are facing daily harassment over a refusal to strike.

www.bbc.co.uk

I hope anyone caught gets the sack and feels the full force of the law.

 

[507021]

If the details on this BBC report are true, then there's some pretty undesirable things happening with this dispute

Manchester bus drivers 'attacked and abused over refusal to strike'

Bus operator Go North West claims its drivers are facing daily harassment over a refusal to strike.

www.bbc.co.uk

This intimidating, childish behaviour is an absolute disgrace.

The sooner the Labour Party completely disassociates itself with this absolute joke of a "union", the better. They may think playing politics with peoples' jobs makes them look big now, but it'll actually make them look very small once this dispute is over. All of this, and the fact they couldn't have been any less helpful if they tried during the Arriva North West dispute a few years ago, makes me very glad I've never given Unite a single penny of my money.

 

[M803UYA]

That's disgraceful. Why should people be intimidated like that? Reminds me of a dictatorship.

Fairly normal when people break a strike and cross a picket line. There's communities in Yorkshire where they've remembered what happened in 1984 and 37 years on, still haven't forgotten. You simply didn't break ranks in your community, you stood together and you fought together.

There is strength in solidarity, if every driver didn't drive those buses, then the depot can't operate. Each driver who crosses the picket line makes the strike harder to win because the numbers reduce, so the employer wins the dispute.

I can't fathom why Go North West wants to have such a costly fight with the staff given the numbers involved. The cost of hiring non union drivers and vehicles, plus the lost revenue from disruption to services more than outweighs any savings made. Stagecoach tend not to have this problem and strikes are pretty rare, then again there is an established network of strike breakers in the group.

Given that the BBC are the mouthpiece of the establishment, then it comes as no surprise that they take the side of the employers and the establishment over the little people.

By the way, unite hasn't donated to Labour since Starmer was elected leader - this is one reason Labour keeps appealing for money.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Fairly normal when people break a strike and cross a picket line. There's communities in Yorkshire where they've remembered what happened in 1984 and 37 years on, still haven't forgotten. You simply didn't break ranks in your community, you stood together and you fought together.

There is strength in solidarity, if every driver didn't drive those buses, then the depot can't operate. Each driver who crosses the picket line makes the strike harder to win because the numbers reduce, so the employer wins the dispute.

I can't fathom why Go North West wants to have such a costly fight with the staff given the numbers involved. The cost of hiring non union drivers and vehicles, plus the lost revenue from disruption to services more than outweighs any savings made. Stagecoach tend not to have this problem and strikes are pretty rare, then again there is an established network of strike breakers in the group.

Given that the BBC are the mouthpiece of the establishment, then it comes as no surprise that they take the side of the employers and the establishment over the little people.

By the way, unite hasn't donated to Labour since Starmer was elected leader - this is one reason Labour keeps appealing for money.

It's normal to have resentment certainly, and yes, in the mining communities, there is still resentment. If you go to North Wales, there is still resentment in those communities affected by the Penrhyn dispute 100+ years ago. However, such instances as are being reported here are more extreme than most disputes.

It's a militant area (people always tar Scousers as militant but North Manchester is a hotbed) and that might explain why First never faced into the issues there. Clearly, the £2m a year loss that GNW was reporting, if true, is unsustainable and it seems that having tried to go down the buying out route, GNW has simply lost patience and is trying to break the strike. They have probably done the sums and worked out the cost of doing it is less than not doing so, year on year. Whether that is economically right is not clear-cut.

Stagecoach has had more than its share of strikes. Two recent ones (at least in recent years) were in the former Ribble business, and Stagecoach Devon, and I'm certain there have been others in South Yorkshire and North East at other times. However, they've tended to be about pay awards and eventually, common sense has prevailed. This is something much more fundamental in all terms and conditions.

 

[M803UYA]

It's normal to have resentment certainly, and yes, in the mining communities, there is still resentment. If you go to North Wales, there is still resentment in those communities affected by the Penrhyn dispute 100+ years ago. However, such instances as are being reported here are more extreme than most disputes.

It's a militant area (people always tar Scousers as militant but North Manchester is a hotbed) and that might explain why First never faced into the issues there. Clearly, the £2m a year loss that GNW was reporting, if true, is unsustainable and it seems that having tried to go down the buying out route, GNW has simply lost patience and is trying to break the strike. They have probably done the sums and worked out the cost of doing it is less than not doing so, year on year. Whether that is economically right is not clear-cut.

Stagecoach has had more than its share of strikes. Two recent ones (at least in recent years) were in the former Ribble business, and Stagecoach Devon, and I'm certain there have been others in South Yorkshire and North East at other times. However, they've tended to be about pay awards and eventually, common sense has prevailed. This is something much more fundamental in all terms and conditions.

Thinking about it, the difference between 1984 and now is that we have the internet and social media to report what is happening and the ability to present an alternative view than that put forward by the BBC.

What isn't helping here is that both sides are being selective in what they're saying publicly. For instance GNW draws attention to payments made for winding roller destination blinds, when the fleet is fitted with electronic destination screens and has been for a number of years. Such a practice wouldn't have been contested by the union if the company wanted to do away with it, whereas reductions in the level of sick pay would obviously be an issue on which they wouldn't give ground. Unite have said in their press releases they've come up with £1.2m of alternate savings which would leave GNW £800k short of the £2m loss. But the details of those savings haven't been revealed.

 

[507021]

Fairly normal when people break a strike and cross a picket line. There's communities in Yorkshire where they've remembered what happened in 1984 and 37 years on, still haven't forgotten. You simply didn't break ranks in your community, you stood together and you fought together.

There is strength in solidarity, if every driver didn't drive those buses, then the depot can't operate. Each driver who crosses the picket line makes the strike harder to win because the numbers reduce, so the employer wins the dispute.

I can't fathom why Go North West wants to have such a costly fight with the staff given the numbers involved. The cost of hiring non union drivers and vehicles, plus the lost revenue from disruption to services more than outweighs any savings made. Stagecoach tend not to have this problem and strikes are pretty rare, then again there is an established network of strike breakers in the group.

Two different Go North West drivers have told me Unite told their members to indefinitely go on strike after they'd voluntarily signed the new contracts they were offered. Only two chose not to sign a new deal because they were moving on for their own reasons. If the terms and conditions of this new deal were so poor, then why did GNW drivers sign them instead of asking Unite to go back to the negotiating table?

The way Unite are conducting themselves now, and advising its members "it's a free vote, do what you want" when Arriva North West made a revised pay offer during the strikes a few years ago, just goes to show how much Unite cares about protecting the interests of its members. The simple answer is it doesn't.

By the way, unite hasn't donated to Labour since Starmer was elected leader

I'm a member of Labour and think the party could do with putting as much distance as possible between themselves and Unite, quite frankly.

 

[M803UYA]

Two different Go North West drivers have told me Unite told their members to indefinitely go on strike after they'd voluntarily signed the new contracts they were offered. Only two chose not to sign a new deal because they were moving on for their own reasons. If the terms and conditions of this new deal were so poor, then why did GNW drivers sign them instead of asking Unite to go back to the negotiating table?

The way Unite are conducting themselves now, and advising its members "it's a free vote, do what you want" when Arriva North West made a revised pay offer during the strikes a few years ago, just goes to show how much Unite cares about protecting the interests of its members. The simple answer is it doesn't.



I'm a member of Labour and think the party could do with putting as much distance as possible between themselves and Unite, quite frankly.

It's a good question, why and I don't live there and don't work for the company, so I'd only be surmising!

Unite have been putting a lot of distance between themselves and Labour, since 4th April last year. They've been very critical over the lack of leadership being shown by the present 'leader'. I best stop there as I'll be taking the thread off topic.

I have dealt with unite officials in a previous working life, and I wouldn't class them as a pushover by any means - they certainly stood up for their members. How effective they are, of course, varies by region.

 

[507021]

It's a good question, why and I don't live there and don't work for the company, so I'd only be surmising!

I think had Unite told them to go on strike instead of signing the contract, and things remained civilised instead of the examples of despicable behaviour we've seen, I'd have some sympathy for the cause considering I've been in a similar boat with the company I work for at the moment. The pay deal we eventually accepted wasn't what we were hoping for, but to be honest it was the best we were going to get at the time and in fairness, it really wasn't the worst deal in the world.

Unite have been putting a lot of distance between themselves and Labour, since 4th April last year. They've been very critical over the lack of leadership being shown by the present 'leader'. I best stop there as I'll be taking the thread off topic.

To be fair, I don't think Unite are a fan of any Labour leader who doesn't go along with McCluskey's own political agenda, but agree it's best to leave things there.

I have dealt with unite officials in a previous working life, and I wouldn't class them as a pushover by any means - they certainly stood up for their members. How effective they are, of course, varies by region.

That's fair enough, but based on what I saw during the Bus Vannin dispute and my own personal experience during the Arriva North West pay deal negotiations, Unite were absolutely dreadful. They wanted Arriva to give us a rise to £12.50/hr, but when asked for advice over whether to accept a slightly lower offer, they simply shrugged their shoulders and told their members to vote as they please.

Just to clarify by the way, I'm a member of GMB (who endorsed Lisa Nandy last year) and so far I'm happy with the experience.

 

[Robertj21a]

If the details on this BBC report are true, then there's some pretty undesirable things happening with this dispute

Manchester bus drivers 'attacked and abused over refusal to strike'

Bus operator Go North West claims its drivers are facing daily harassment over a refusal to strike.

www.bbc.co.uk

Utterly disgusting, something that was unacceptable in much of the UK 30-40 years ago. Who are these neanderthals?

 

[GusB]

While the industrial action is an emotive subject, we should all bear in mind that there are two sides to every story and that everyone should remain civil - even if you disagree with some of the views put forward. Please also stay on topic. Thanks

 

[M803UYA]

The media, including the BBC and Manchester Evening News, have repeated unsubstantiated allegations from Go NorthWest of intimidation by #NoGo strikers.... | By Manchester Trades CouncilFacebook

The media, including the BBC and Manchester Evening News, have repeated unsubstantiated allegations from Go NorthWest of intimidation by #NoGo strikers....

www.facebook.com

Found on Manchester Trades Council's facebook page - thought those being critical of the strikers might like to see video evidence from the 'other side'...
Traffic Commissioners tend to take a dim view of dangerous driving by PCV licence holders, especially when PCVs are used as a weapon and driven at people.....

"The media, including the BBC and Manchester Evening News, have repeated unsubstantiated allegations of intimidation from Go North West against #NoGo strikers.
Manchester TUC has been sent this video which shows a very different picture - video evidence of violence, threats and abuse against peaceful protesters opposing #FireAndRehire and supporting the #ManchesterBusStrike.
Share it widely."

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Strike over - tweet from GNW “ We're pleased to confirm that we have reached an agreement with Unite the union to end the industrial action at our Queens Road depot.

Our services will begin to return to normal over the coming days - we'll keep you updated here as things develop.”

 

[Eyersey468]

Anyone know what agreement was reached?

 

[GusB]

They've dropped the idea of using fire and rehire, according to this:

Manchester Go North West bus drivers' strike called off

Members of the Unite union at Go North West in Manchester launched an all-out strike in February.

www.bbc.com

A long-running strike by bus drivers has ended after they voted to accept a deal to resolve a row over pay and conditions.

Members of the Unite union at Go North West in Manchester started an all-out strike on 28 February.

Unite said the firm had agreed to not use "fire and rehire" policy, a move it claimed would safeguard pay and conditions for thousands of employees.

Go North West said it was "pleased" an agreement had been reached.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

They've dropped the idea of using fire and rehire, according to this:

Manchester Go North West bus drivers' strike called off

Members of the Unite union at Go North West in Manchester launched an all-out strike in February.

www.bbc.com

I wonder if the full truth might be that fire and rehire has gone but that many of the changes they wanted will go through whilst a few others will change for new starters?

 

[GusB]

I wonder if the full truth might be that fire and rehire has gone but that many of the changes they wanted will go through whilst a few others will change for new starters?

I would certainly think that there would have been some concession on the part of the drivers for this to have been agreed.

There was an article in one of the online transport publications a few days ago. I thought I'd saved it with a view to posting it here, but clearly I didn't. I'll see if I can find it - it may have more detail.

Edit - it was Route One:

Go North West strike ended as Unite claims 'huge victory' - routeone

Union Unite has claimed 'a huge victory' after it and Go-Ahead reached an agreement that has ended strike action at Go North West.

www.route-one.net

Go North West has welcomed the end of the industrial action. Managing Director Nigel Featham says that the “positive outcome” for the business, its employees and its stakeholders will allow the introduction of revised working practices under a new collective agreement.

Those changes will provide “a solid foundation on which to build a sustainable future for the depot,” Mr Featham adds.

A spokesperson for the operator could not say whether the settlement will see an end to what it had previously called “outdated working practices.” In a stakeholder update issued in September 2020, Go North West said that those customs include payments for hand-winding destination blinds and the opportunity for mileage to be dropped to enable drivers to finish work on time.

"revised working practices under a new collective agreement" seems a bit vague to me.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

"revised working practices under a new collective agreement" seems a bit vague to me.

Yup, that was the line that caught my eye, and yeah, revised working practices and a new agreement indicates substantial changes without the hire and refire.

 

[cnjb8]

Looks like some MCV Evoseti’s are on the way to GNW. 20 will arrive from London to work alongside GNWs existing hybrids

https://mobile.twitter.com/gnwmatt/status/1472657011129081858

Coming soon to the streets of Manchester. #SundayNightBusPorn

 

[90sWereBetter]

Aye, this is the batch of MHVs which were formerly at Peckham for the 63 until Abellio took over last month, pretty surprising cascades given the enormous amount of E400s and B9TLs that Go-Ahead London still operate. I thought these might have turned up at Merton to clear out the 09-plate Es on the 57, or at Sutton to make a dent in the 58/09-plate DOEs which still dominate at that garage.

Guessing they were needed for the Manchester low emission zone. Either way I'm happy, means less MHVs with rock hard seats to avoid, and more chances to catch old Enviro 400s in London for the foreseeable

 

[317 forever]

As these EvoSetis are rumoured to be for routes 17 & 18, the Volvo B5LHs will need to settle on another route. I rode one on route 100 (Manchester - Eccles - Trafford Centre - Warrington) in April and reckon this will be their most regular route.

 

[cnjb8]

Aye, this is the batch of MHVs which were formerly at Peckham for the 63 until Abellio took over last month, pretty surprising cascades given the enormous amount of E400s and B9TLs that Go-Ahead London still operate. I thought these might have turned up at Merton to clear out the 09-plate Es on the 57, or at Sutton to make a dent in the 58/09-plate DOEs which still dominate at that garage.

Guessing they were needed for the Manchester low emission zone. Either way I'm happy, means less MHVs with rock hard seats to avoid, and more chances to catch old Enviro 400s in London for the foreseeable

I guess GoAhead London are waiting for the routes the E and DOEs operate on to be tendered.

As these EvoSetis are rumoured to be for routes 17 & 18, the Volvo B5LHs will need to settle on another route. I rode one on route 100 (Manchester - Eccles - Trafford Centre - Warrington) in April and reckon this will be their most regular route.

The MCVs will work alongside the Wrights on 17/18.

 

[M60lad]

Apart from 52/53,129/415 routes for obvious reasons I think they'll end up on any other Go Northwest route that normally uses double deckers.

 

[chopperman21]

3101 and 3102 are now in the pink CrossCity Route 41 livery to offer increased capacity on that route.

 

[gnolife]

3101 and 3102 are now in the pink CrossCity Route 41 livery to offer increased capacity on that route.

That's quite funny - this is the second time that 3102 has been branded for the 41 (and the same may apply to 3101, but I can't check at the moment), having previously been based at Rusholme

 

[GusB]

Go North West is looking to recruit 300 drivers for Greater Manchester.

Go North West opens recruitment of 300 bus drivers - routeone

Go North West has opened recruitment of 300 bus drivers ahead of commencing two large franchise contracts in Greater Manchester.

www.route-one.net

Go North West (GNW) has opened what it says is Britain’s biggest recruitment campaign for bus drivers. The work comes as GNW prepares to commence operation of the two large franchise contracts that make up the first stage of bus reregulation in Greater Manchester.

The operator wants to hire up to 300 drivers that either have experience or are new to the industry. They will attend what is described as an “Elite Bus Driver Academy” in Bolton and be trained via either conventional methods for six weeks or through a longer apprenticeship scheme.

Drivers will be deployed onto the two large franchise contracts in Bolton and Wigan from September. GNW is utilising a ‘Be an Elite Driver’ recruitment campaign as part of the work, for which it says fighter pilot-style uniforms and imagery will be used.

Those recruits that pass through the conventional training programme will undergo a six-week course that is open to existing bus drivers and those without the necessary qualifications. The apprenticeship approach will combine studying with hands-on driving.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Are Go North West finding driver recruitment to boost their staffing levels something of a problem at present?

 

[47550]

Are the existing staff not TUPE transferring over to Go NW ?