Respect transport workers’ bargaining rights

Transport for Greater Manchester, West Midlands Combined Authority and West Yorkshire Combined Authority have signed up to the ‘Passenger Transport Forum’ bargaining agreement with UNISON and Unite. The employers turn up to meetings but refuse to negotiate over pay, claiming they are ‘tied’ to what is agreed by other employers in a separate bargaining unit.

The workers have been offered the latest in a long line of real-terms pay cuts instead of a pay rise that was due back in April. Employees of local authorities and fire and rescue services can negotiate their pay, but this right is being denied to transport workers, who have been left with no alternative to strike action.

These workers are employed in a wide variety of roles from sometimes challenging customer facing roles in transport interchanges, those with safety critical responsibilities such as engineers, through to those planning routes and providing customer information. All our members are skilled and committed to providing the best for the travelling public of these areas ensuring things run smoothly now and that transport networks are fit for purpose far into the future.

To tackle the cost-of-living crisis and climate breakdown we need affordable, reliable, safe and convenient public transport. That can only be delivered by workers on decent pay and whose right to bargain is respected.

Behind the three employers stand the three regional Mayors of Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire – Andy Burnham, Richard Parker and Tracy Brabin. They all say they want improved public transport. They all say they support workers’ rights to negotiate their pay and conditions through their unions.