Ali Mansfield, Yorkshire Socialist Party
Facing an unsafe working environment after cuts to funding, Unite members at Leeds council transport service have taken strike action. The service provides school transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities, as well as transport for medical services.
Drivers have been given no means to access safety-critical information on passengers’ needs and behavioural issues. One striker reported having been punched and kicked while at work within the week preceding the strike, with others recounting incidents of service users being hurt due to a lack of appropriate safety equipment. Office support staff also face pressure due to understaffing.
Despite all this, workers have been told the situation won’t be addressed until at least April, due to the lack of funding from Labour-led Leeds council. This shows again the need to prepare a bold anti-austerity stand at the May elections, with councillors prepared to put forward needs-based budgets which would protect vital services like the transport service, mobilising a coordinated struggle in the workers’ movement.
