Go Ahead offers deal to Manchester bus drivers – but workers remain on strike for now

Strikers at 'Go North West' in Manchester Photo: Unite North West

Strikers at ‘Go North West’ in Manchester Photo: Unite North West   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Bus drivers employed by Go North West in Manchester have been taking all-out, continuous strike, since the 28 February. The company is trying to fire and rehire its workers on vastly inferior contracts.

Speaking at the Manchester May Day rally on 1 May, Unite branch secretary Colin Hayden said: “Today marks the start of the tenth week of our industrial action against fire and rehire. Our members decided they will not stand for the industrial terrorism of fire and rehire. Now we have had a deal from the Go Ahead group. It says fire and rehire has been withdrawn. Two sacked members will be given their jobs back. Sham, bogus disciplinaries have been stopped. But the deal is not done yet. We will return to work if and when our members vote for the deal. Until then we will be on strike.”

The 400 workers have been fighting a 10% cut in bus drivers, plans to force workers to work longer for no additional pay, resulting in them being £2,500 a year worse off, and the tearing up of existing sick pay policy, which would force workers to work when they are sick or should be self-isolating during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Socialist Party calls for an end to fire and rehire, no pay cut for drivers and renationalisation of bus services.