RATES OF PAY AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 2024 – FIRST SOUTH WEST

Our Ref: B/0001/FSW

 

2^nd August 2024

 

Dear RMT Member, 

 

RATES OF PAY AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 2024 – FIRST SOUTH WEST

Your Union’s negotiating team has been in discussions with the company to try and find an improvement to the current pay offer and to find a meaningful resolution to this dispute. I can now confirm that the Union has received a full and final offer from the company. 

 

Arrangements are being made for your representatives to be released to consult and discuss the offer with you and your colleagues before the Union’s National Executive Committee considers this matter further on Tuesday. 

 

The Offer from the company is as follows:

 

Option A 

 

• 0.70p for all grades, taking drivers pay rate to £13.70 & £14.70 overtime rate, backdated to 1 April 2024 (anniversary date) 

 

This represents a 5.4% increase which is ahead of current inflation. 

 

Option B 

 

• 0.70p for all grades, taking drivers pay rate to £13.70, backdated to 1 April 2024 (anniversary date) 
• £15.07 for drivers from October half term network change (see below for full details) 

 

Driver – Trading of T&Cs

  

• Reducing the Sign on/off times for duties if not doing First User check within the rotas of Somerset & Cornwall.  
• Paying in machine in Taunton High Street to have as a sign off location.  
• Extending roster creation parameters from 39-42 hours, to 39-48 hrs in Cornwall & from 3939.15 hours, to 39-48 hrs in Somerset, current inefficiencies in rotas where we are paying make up 
  • Opening the parameters and preferences in the Optibus data, for rostered weekly hours will free up the ability for, not only more consistent hourly lines, but would likely alleviate the amount of mixed rostering that is currently seen.  
  • We have found that duty compilation is more palatable for the drivers, as it can improve duty content.  
  • To conclude, the schedules and rostering team don’t ever compile rosters right to the maximum scope of the hours – set at 48. The parameters set in the background data of 39 - 48 will often lead to us being successful in securing average weekly hours at say 41 or 42, for those drivers that have an appetite for such hours, which in turn will enable other rotas to sit at just above the minimum 39hrs.  
  • For complete transparency it DOES NOT mean that every driver will have to work for 48hours 

 

• Ceasing unsociable rates of pay. 
• Join up pay in both Cornwall & Somerset rota to be unpaid.  
  • This will result in unpaid time, however the amount of join up will change all the time, having the value on the headline rate will sit there forever more and be more valuable for everyone. 
  • Example: Complete a service 1 & have to wait for service 2 15mins, this is classified as unproductive time & currently paid. 

 

• Revised Company Sick Pay (see below) 
• Harmonising Bank Holiday arrangements in line Cornwall 
• Removing overtime rate 

 

For information, these figures have been calculated using the below costs per hour efficiency savings: 

 

£/Hr	T&Cs
£ 0.19	Somerset/Cornwall– Reducing Sign on times for duties if not doing First User check
£ 0.14	Take out join up Cornwall
£ 0.10	Somerset Join up
£ 0.24	Extending parameters from 39.15 to 48
£ 0.11	Overtime paid after rostered hrs not guaranteed hrs
£ 0.13	Paying in machine in Taunton High Street to have as a sign off location
£ 0.05	Revised Sick pay arrangement
£ 0.19	Ceasing unsocial rates of pay
£ 0.03	B/holiday parity (less favourable)

 

             

Revised Company Sick Pay: 

 

• Company sick pay scheme: 
  • Less 24 months service - SSP only 
  • 2 years up to 10 years - 80% from day one for short term absence, 100% for long term absence where long term absence is from 4 weeks 
  • 10 years plus - 100% pay day one regardless long or short

 

I ask that you actively engage with your representatives. I trust this keeps you advised, and I will write again with any further updates. 

 

Yours sincerely

 

Michael Lynch

General Secretary