More than 1,300 First Bus Glasgow drivers are set to receive pay rises of up to 21.5% after members of the Unite union accepted the company’s latest pay offer.
The deal follows 'months of negotiations, and previously rejected offers', as the union bargained on the basis that an increasing number of bus drivers were leaving the industry to find better paid jobs elsewhere.
General secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘The inflation-busting pay deal for many of our drivers in First Glasgow is industry leading. Unite has been working hard over a number of months to secure the best possible result.
‘We are determined to improve the job, pay and conditions of our members, and this pay deal should be a benchmark for all other bus companies to follow.’
Unite said the new pay deal over two years delivers:
- pay rises of between 6% – 21.5% over the next two years depending on length of service
- drivers currently in second year of service on £10.70 per hour will now receive £11 from August 2021 - (2.8%) to £13 from October 2022 - (18.2%)
- improvement in rosters, unpaid break-times and a shorter working week, including a 12-hours maximum length of shift.
- a £300 ‘thank you’ payment as part of a UK-wide agreement.
Unite said it has also secured a commitment from First Bus Glasgow to recruit and train additional drivers, alongside agreement that it will now take two years to get to the top pay rate, as opposed to the previous five years, ‘as part of a co-ordinated effort to attract people into the bus industry’.
On Monday, Unite said its members working for Arriva Cymru had voted to accept a significantly improved pay offer that achieves its aim of securing an hourly rate of £12 an hour for its members and followed a period of strike action last month.
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