Strike Action

[Kevin_Brum12]

The vast majority of workers will not be getting inflation matching pay rises, yet they won't be striking. These percentage payrises are not realistic & inflation is expected to start falling once interest rate hikes kick in.

Worth remembering that interest rate rise will impact on take home pay as well.  People are going to be paying more on mortgages thanks to the disastrous Truss budget and if you rent privately as many younger workers now have to, landlords will up rents to cover the interest rate rises on their properties.

Also worth noting that the unhappy workers at the current time are all in public service sectors like public transport, the health sector and local/national government.  All the ones that were expected to keep going during the pandemic with key workers expected to keep going.

Workers at Jaguar Land Rover, who of course are the biggest private sector in the West Midlands also have workers represented by UNITE.  Workers most recent pay deal from last summer is 12.2%.

JLR 2022 Pay Deal

I'd have thought that would have come into the mix in any pay negotiations at NX or indeed for the nurses and other public service workers with an observation from the TU side that any offer less than that is an insult to those who'd served between 2020 and 2022. JLR of course shut down in lockdown. NXWM were business as usual.

[Kevin_Brum12]

without drivers there is no company period, they bang on about new vehicle investment well its part of the business, buses get old they replace them standard oh wow big deal, i use drive around 25 year old Metrobuses no problem did'nt bother me.
Coventrys great electric plan oh wow, NX Instead of writing cheques every month for leasing diesel buses they will write cheques to zenobe instead who will provide fairy dust too

Indeed, but that is also the case if there are no passengers.  

Passengers want decent buses and quality and you only have to look how bad the decline has been in operations using knackered buses that Chaserider.

[Kevin_Brum12]

It'll interesting to see, with the recent changes, how many of us have a viable non NX alternative?

The answer is very few.  Perhaps Andy Street is expecting Stagecoach to magic up a few hundred buses and drivers for the main corridor routes.

For regular West Midlands bus users reliant on NXWM, with exceptions there is none.  Even the alternatives may be useless depending on the timing of any strike, given some of the alternatives only operate at limited times.  For an example Sutton-Birmingham commuters have the option of Cross City (if it is running) or the Arriva 110. However the 110 is not as frequent as the NX offering and finishes earlier. 

[j789]

without drivers there is no company period, they bang on about new vehicle investment well its part of the business, buses get old they replace them standard oh wow big deal, i use drive around 25 year old Metrobuses no problem did'nt bother me.
Coventrys great electric plan oh wow, NX Instead of writing cheques every month for leasing diesel buses they will write cheques to zenobe instead who will provide fairy dust too.

Drivers are the number most important resource a transport company has of course. But let's not pretend that the unions would accept a big pay rise but then accept drivers having to sit in clapped out sheds all day with no heating, etc. They want nice comfy vehicles to drive so unions would kick up a fuss if there was no new vehicle investment so it is important.

Investment in vehicles AND staff needs to occur in tandem, no one can deny that NX have done a good job on the vehicle investment side in recent years, now hopefully their employees will benefit too as they deserve it (as all bus drivers do).

It would be interesting to know how the smaller companies deal with unions - I know of some in the past who didn't recognise them so driver rights were non existent pretty much at those companies. Hopefully this isn't the case any longer at any local companies.

And as for the Metros, an absolute credit to WMT/TWM engineering staff to keep them in good Nick for so long. Keep hearing in other threads in Cannock fairly modern Streetlites and others seem to break down every few days, no price can be put on having the 'right' staff in those roles.

[Westy]

If there were no NX buses running at all, my only other options are to walk to/from work (just over an hour), or get the train from Yardley Wood to Small Heath. But I'm just looking at the train timetable and its ridiculous now, I'm sure there used to be a train every twenty minutes between those two stations, now its hourly!

I'd probably end up working from home on those days, there's no way I'm paying for a taxi especially as they'll be taking full advantage by hiking their prices up.

Last time I walked from Willenhall back home to Bloxwich/Leamore, it was a Christmas after work afternoon down the nearest pub(The now demolished Waterglade in Willenhall!), so I was a bit squiffy, let's say.

I had a 'mad idea' to walk home, so followed the 326 route, as far as Lane Head Bridge, then cut through Short Heath past the shops, up to what was Frank F Harrison school, then went in the Tandy shop that was attached to their head office at the time, then carried on home from there!

The whole walk took me about a hour & half istr, about 30 odd years ago!

[Kevin_Brum12]

Drivers are the number most important resource a transport company has of course. But let's not pretend that the unions would accept a big pay rise but then accept drivers having to sit in clapped out sheds all day with no heating, etc. They want nice comfy vehicles to drive so unions would kick up a fuss if there was no new vehicle investment so it is important.

Investment in vehicles AND staff needs to occur in tandem, no one can deny that NX have done a good job on the vehicle investment side in recent years, now hopefully their employees will benefit too as they deserve it (as all bus drivers do).

It would be interesting to know how the smaller companies deal with unions - I know of some in the past who didn't recognise them so driver rights were non existent pretty much at those companies. Hopefully this isn't the case any longer at any local companies.

And as for the Metros, an absolute credit to WMT/TWM engineering staff to keep them in good Nick for so long. Keep hearing in other threads in Cannock fairly modern Streetlites and others seem to break down every few days, no price can be put on having the 'right' staff in those roles.

Yes, drivers (as the cab is their workstation) and passengers now expect better.  The days of operators getting away with keeping superannuated Routemasters and Metrobuses every day have gone.  

Pre-dreg of course the planned service life of a bus was 12-15 years.  Think we are moving back to that.

[Ginger66]

If there were no NX buses running at all, my only other options are to walk to/from work (just over an hour), or get the train from Yardley Wood to Small Heath. But I'm just looking at the train timetable and its ridiculous now, I'm sure there used to be a train every twenty minutes between those two stations, now its hourly!

I'd probably end up working from home on those days, there's no way I'm paying for a taxi especially as they'll be taking full advantage by hiking their prices up.

Snap it would take nearly hour from where I am in Wednesbury to walk to the metro stop at great western street and if I went to local train stop it would take about 20 minutes and then if there are train strikes. 

I would not like to walk in the dark and especially if it's been snowing and icey it would take me longer to walk

[Stu]

For regular West Midlands bus users reliant on NXWM, with exceptions there is none.  Even the alternatives may be useless depending on the timing of any strike, given some of the alternatives only operate at limited times.

Actually there is one other option available to me, I could get the Stagecoach 169 to Kings Heath, and then a Diamond 50 to Highgate (ten minute walk from the Merrymaid to work!)

But as that option involves a) Stagecoach and b) Streetlites, it would probably not be a viable one!

[metrocity]

Drivers are the number most important resource a transport company has of course. But let's not pretend that the unions would accept a big pay rise but then accept drivers having to sit in clapped out sheds all day with no heating, etc. They want nice comfy vehicles to drive so unions would kick up a fuss if there was no new vehicle investment so it is important.

Investment in vehicles AND staff needs to occur in tandem, no one can deny that NX have done a good job on the vehicle investment side in recent years, now hopefully their employees will benefit too as they deserve it (as all bus drivers do).

It would be interesting to know how the smaller companies deal with unions - I know of some in the past who didn't recognise them so driver rights were non existent pretty much at those companies. Hopefully this isn't the case any longer at any local companies.

And as for the Metros, an absolute credit to WMT/TWM engineering staff to keep them in good Nick for so long. Keep hearing in other threads in Cannock fairly modern Streetlites and others seem to break down every few days, no price can be put on having the 'right' staff in those roles.

I don't think you can compare a Metrobus with a Streetlite. You can fix a Metrobus with a spanner rather than a computer !

[Tony]

I don't think you can compare a Metrobus with a Streetlite. You can fix a Metrobus with a spanner rather than a computer !

Wolverhampton's three StreetLites very rarely break down. It is a rare day one will leave the garage and not complete the duty, only problem with them is it normally takes longer to get spares for them when needed than an E200.

[j789]

I don't think you can compare a Metrobus with a Streetlite. You can fix a Metrobus with a spanner rather than a computer !

Perhaps but also having an exemplary maintenance schedule in place should mean all vehicles operated should be reliable, no matter the complexities of their mechanical infrastructure.

First has plenty of Streetlites getting on for 9 years old now yet they are some of the most reliable vehicles in the fleet still. If you have good maintenance standards (and amazing engineering staff like the ones I've been fortunate to work alongside with) then you gain the benefits of that.

It seems not all companies place as much importance on maintenance though and it certainly shows.

[markcf83]

I don't think you can compare a Metrobus with a Streetlite. You can fix a Metrobus with a spanner rather than a computer !

.....and what's more a Metrobus sounds brilliant......

[Mike K]

It'll interesting to see, with the recent changes, how many of us have a viable non NX alternative?

Some people, myself included, are fortunate to have their car as an alternative.

Like a lot of people, particularly those who work in the city centre, I choose to take the bus to work rather than drive, for a number of reasons. Parking costs in the city are extortionate, the bus will typically get you closer to your place of work, journey times for shorter commutes and with bus priority measures can be similar, and frequent short trips are not always suited to all modern cars. Then there are the environmental considerations.

Unfortunately, the current situation in the bus industry turns into a vicious circle where people can use their car as an alternative. Bus driver shortages, and the consequent reductions in frequencies and missing buses, result in people resorting to using their car. Strike action will only compound this further. Some passengers will be lost for good, bus company revenue decreases, cost pressures in the current environment worsen, and companies can't afford to pay what their drivers demand. And so the cycle continues.

I do however have some sympathy for bus drivers. Rates of pay in the industry are poor, for a job dealing with the general public (and with that, some of the dregs of society) with extremely unsociable hours.

[2900]

Nobody has mentioned using a bicycle granted on a bad weather day its not very appealing really is it. 
Any way i doubt drivers will get to strike NXWM will put something on the table. i personally just for hell of it want to experience a strike a picket line etc something i can tick off me bucket list. I bet there's folks thinking how irresponsible and you know what folks life carry's on regardless we,ve had trams,trains, ambulances missing for months and yet we still manage one way or another. i now walk from W.B garage to Oldbury relief point, great for mental health.

[Stu]

Nobody has mentioned using a bicycle granted on a bad weather day its not very appealing really is it. 

I'm pretty sure if strike action is called, TfWM will be pushing cycling again.