Trouble ahead on the buses

In a long running dispute with the firm around 180 craft and engineering workers in all Glasgow depots are now set to undertake an industrial action ballot over holiday pay.

The dispute. says Unite, relates to the failure of management to implement a national framework agreement signed in 2015. The pay rise element of the original dispute was settled in July after acceptance of a three per cent pay award in 2018 and 2.5 per cent in 2019.

Unite and First Glasgow agreed to work towards a settlement on the outstanding issue of holiday pay but the union says company management have stated an unwillingness to retrospectively apply the minimum standard Divisional Holiday Pay Framework Agreement from 2015.

Unite regional officer Pat McIlvogue said: “The double standards and deceit 
displayed by First Glasgow is scandalous. In good faith, and at Unite’s suggestion, we agreed to further discussions with the firm through ACAS after the pay element was resolved only for the company to behave in this manner.”

“Unite engineering members are being treated as second class despite a minimum standard framework agreement signed by company directors Giles Fearnley & Dave Alexander in 2015 stating all workers should be treated the same.

The firm is in our opinion operating outside the law on holiday pay and their own agreement which is a position that will be robustly challenged both industrially and legally by Unite.”

Andrew Jarvis, managing director of First Glasgow, said: “After a series of talks with our Unite trade union colleagues facilitated by ACAS, we regret to advise that despite considerable movement on the established positions of both sides, we have been unable to reach a collective agreement on a revised position on the level of holiday pay paid.

“The final offer was above the level prescribed by recent case law surrounding changes to holiday pay calculations.

There have been considerable developments in case law in the last three years which were fully satisfied by our final offer to the union.

“We are clearly disappointed by this failure to reach an agreement, but remain available for further talks as we seek to conclude the issue.”