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Publication Date: May 22 2007
However, the union also expressed concern that a proposal to relax criteria on 'community transport' provision might have a negative impact by encouraging operators and authorities to withdraw from uporofitable but essential lifeline bus routes.
The proposals form part of the draft bill to improve public transport and tackle congestion, published today by the government.
"Giving local authorities a bigger role in shaping bus provision and greater control over timetables and fares are welcome steps towards returning the bus industry to proper public control," RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.
"The creation of new PTAs would allow for greater strategic control over bus and rail provision.
"And it is simple common sense, not least for the environment, to ensure that money raised through road-pricing is invested in improving public transport.
"This bill could also be used to help address the problems of low pay, long hours and poor working conditions that have blighted the industry since privatisation and created a long-term recruitment problem.
"Our own recent survey of bus workers found that only a quarter of felt secure in their job, that younger bus workers are becoming a rarity and that two-thirds said that the main reason workers left the industry was because of poor pay and conditions.
"The only people to benefit from deregulation and privatisation have been the privateers, whose main role is to drain public money from the industry.
"If we are to ensure that buses play their full role in encouraging people out of cars, that drain must ultimately be blocked, Bob Crow said.
ends
Note to editors: RMT commissioned a survey by Electoral Reform Market Research, which took place between March 23 and April 12 2007. Just over a thousand (1011) RMT bus members responded.
A summary of the survey's key findings is detailed below. The survey shows that Bus workers believe that the privatised bus companies are more interested in making profits than providing a service for passengers and that the industry is riven by long hours, low pay, high staff turnover and job insecurity and also has a increasing age profile.
Key Findings
Security of employment, age profile and staff turnover
The survey found that the bus industry is poor at retaining workers with just over a third of those having been employed in the industry for five years or less. Only a quarter of Bus workers feel secure in their job. Younger bus workers are becoming a rarity, with 89% of bus workers over the age of 34 and 70% over the age of 44.
Two-thirds said that the main reason workers left the industry was because of poor pay and conditions.
Pay and Conditions
Only 13% of Bus workers felt that the company they worked for adequately rewarded employees. Just over half of respondents earned between £6.51 and £7.50 an hour while just over a quarter earned between £7.51 and £8.50 and hour.
36% of respondents have a contractual basic of 38 hours a week and 52% of respondents have a contractual basic of 39 hours a week.
Over 40% of bus workers work over 46 hours a week and almost half earn less than £300 a week, before tax. 15% of respondents said they relied on Government support to boost their income meaning that the government is indirectly subsiding low pay in the bus industry.
Putting Passengers First?
69% of bus workers felt that the company they worked for was more interested in making profits than providing a service to passengers. Only 14% felt their company was more interested in passengers than profits.
Industrial Relations
Although a majority (53%) of respondents thought that their company welcomed trade union organisation, two thirds felt that the company they worked for did not do a good job in communicating with their employees and only 20% agreed that there were good industrial relations at their company.
Health and Safety
Whilst almost half of respondents felt that their company took adequate steps to protect the health and safety of employees a significant minority (31%) thought that this was not the case. Also of concern was that only a third of Bus workers thought that their company took adequate steps to minimise assaults and anti social behaviour by passengers.
Members were evenly split about whether their company allowed adequate arrangements for rest breaks with 42% agreeing this was the case and 41% against. A similar split could be found with regards to their company providing adequate facilities at the workplace with 40% in favour and 42% against.
Of real concern and relevant to the unions safety campaign against long hours, the survey found that 80% worked more than 40 hours a week, 42% worked more than 45 hours a week, and 18% more than 50 hours a week and 8% over 55 hours a week.
Recruitment and Training
The majority of respondents (53%) felt that their company did a good job at advertising vacancies and whilst half of respondents felt their company provided adequate training for new employees only 30% agreed that their company provided adequate refresher training and training for new skills.
Profiles
More than 9 in 10 bus workers are employed on a full time basis. 9 in ten bus workers are also white males
