A return to work, however, will not even be considered until outstanding issues have been dealt with, including the removal of sick pay from 3 drivers (1 with cancer, one post-operative) unless they sign a form saying they have returned to work! An RMT member (the minority Union – only 5 members) has joined UNITE to avoid scabbing.
Only 15 of the depot’s 110 drivers are working. First is bringing in driving instructors and other managers to blackleg, from as far away as Scotland, and is putting them up in hotels costing up to £245 a night. Last year, the 5 directors of First Hampshire and Dorset shared bonuses totalling £800,000! The strike is, if anything, even stronger, and the UNITE branch has received over £10,000, including £15 collected last week at a Momentum meeting in Weymouth.
Leeds buses have settled, so Weymouth, a small depot, needs all the support possible.
Send messages of support to Simon Wilkins, UNITE Branch Secretary, via the Trades Union Council, on [email protected].Tim Nicholls, Secretary, Dorchester Weymouth & Portland TUC
