Zakk Brown, Manchester Socialist Party
Socialist Party members joined Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) workers in both Unite and Unison unions on their picket line on the second of four strike days over pay.
500 workers gathered outside Greater Manchester Labour mayor Andy Burnham’s office the previous day.
One TfGM worker stated: “For many workers, pay has gone down about 30% over ten years.”
Others on the line reported that the pay award they’d been offered would put them on around £13 an hour, which is likely to render the pay increase worthless once the minimum wage goes up in April.
The strikers also highlighted that the employer’s maternity policy hasn’t been updated in years, and is “one of the worst when you compare it to other transport employers and elsewhere in the public sector.” The workplace has seen many women workers leave over this policy, with others forced to make a decision between starting a family and remaining in work.
There was a palpable sense of anger directed at Andy Burnham, following his comments that the offer (£1,290 up to a certain pay grade, or 2.5% above that) is a good one, and extrapolating the larger salaries of the engineers to be indicative of overall high wages. The strikers suggested that this ‘senior manager-speak’ from the Labour mayor is giving the wrong impression to the public, and is not based on facts.
In fact, Burnham could resolve this dispute immediately. TfGM policies are set by a committee made up of councillors and the mayor himself.
The workers have a website where you can find more information and donate to the strike fund at stopthedrop.uk
