I read with interest your entry concerning whether or not striking is worthwhile. I agreed with your crafted analysis and with that of your closing paragraph. To put in context, I write with the final offer made to my colleagues and I employed by Stagecoach's depot in Grimsby. I wonder if you'd consider reproducing it for your blog's readership so that they can compare it with the 3% offered by First to its drivers in South Yorkshire:
Current rate of pay = £8.40
A 1.2% pay rise from November 2009 taking hourly rate to £8.50.
A 1.8% pay rise from May 2010 taking hourly rate to £8.65.
A 1.2% pay rise from November 2010 taking hourly rate to £8.75.
Negotiation to take place again for an increase commencing May 2011.
An additional 50p/hour has been offered for working Saturday duties as overtime.
On average, over the 18 month period, the six-monthly pay increases equate to an individual rise of 1.4% on each equation, or a 2.1% annual increase.
As you don't offer a comments facility, I don't expect your readership to contact you directly with your thoughts, though I would be interested to have any that do forwarded to me for consideration. My main reasoning for contacting you was to use your site as a barometer for others out there who are entering into negotiation with their directorships and want to know what is happening out there.
Editors' note: it's worth noting that not mentioned, in the email from our anonymous Grimbarian, are details of local agreements paid, such as sign-on/off time and unpaid meal break duration, which can (and do!) feature in depots' pay offers. Additionally, the rate of pay quoted above is one of many different rates at the depot.
