17.6 per cent increase on hourly wage worth over £5,000 extra a year

 

Unite, Scotland’s leading trade union, confirmed today (Monday 13 November) that around 150 engineers who maintain and repair First Glasgow’s bus operations have secured a significant pay deal.

 

Unite’s engineers emphatically backed the new offer by 92 per cent which will see the hourly wage increase by a minimum of 17.6 per cent by April 2024. The pay deal will initially increase wages from £15.31 to £17.50, and thereafter to a minimum of £18 per hour in April 2024. This equates to a minimum income rise of over £5,000.

 

The two days of strike action scheduled to take place on 16 and 17 November are now off.

 

The engineers are employed by First Glasgow (No1) and First Glasgow (No2) who are part of First Group PLC’s bus operations in Scotland. The workers are based in various bus depots across Greater Glasgow including Blantyre, Caledonia, Dumbarton, Overtown and Scotstoun.

 

Sharon Graham Unite general secretary said: “Unite’s engineers at First Bus across Greater Glasgow have secured an excellent new pay deal. We said all along that this is a company which can well afford to make a fair pay offer and this proved to be the case.

 

“We now urge First Bus management to urgently revisit their pay offer to our 1,200 drivers and settle that dispute through negotiations. If they do not, then Unite will fully support our members all the way in their fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”

 

Around 1,200 Unite bus drivers are involved in a similar pay dispute with First Bus. The bus drivers voted by 99 per cent in support of strike action on a high turnout of 77 per cent. Strike action is scheduled to start at 04:00 on Friday 24 November continuing until Friday 1 December when the action concludes at 3.59am - unless there is a breakthrough in pay talks.

 

First Glasgow (No1) reported profits after tax year ending 26 March 2022 of £3.96m, whereas First Glasgow (No 2) reported a profit of £362,000.

 

Pat McIlvogue, Unite industrial officer, added: “Unite has won a major pay increase for our engineering members at First Bus. It will lift the basic hourly wage up to a minimum of £18 an hour. All along we have said our members have been underpaid and undervalued for years while First Bus stockpiled millions in its bank account. We are pleased to have resolved this dispute through negotiation and ahead of scheduled strike action.”

 

ENDS