Alistair Tice, Sheffield Socialist Party
Shunters, fuellers and cleaners at the First bus garage in Sheffield have begun indefinite strike action. This follows three months of escalating action by these Unite the Union members, who are employed by Bidvest Noonan.
They were joined on strike in November by their colleagues at the Doncaster depot, who are also now on indefinite strike.
They are fighting for the ‘real living wage’. As an accredited real living wage employer, South Yorkshire First should pay all workers at least £12 an hour, including workers employed through third-party contractors.
But apart from fining Bidvest for not cleaning buses, First does nothing to enforce this on its outsourced contractors.
It’s not like they can’t afford it – Bidvest Noonan is part of the Bidvest Group, which earned £278 million in profits in the half year to December 2023. But Bidvest is refusing to talk, saying it will not pay the real living wage until contract renewal in November 2026, another two years!
Backed by Unite, the workers are determined to stick it out and think that Bidvest will not be able to cope over the busy Christmas and new year period, and dirty winter weather. The strikers are also planning a trip to London to take their claim to Bidvest head office.