First Aberdeen boss slams drivers’ 52% pay rise claim
Scathing attack on threatened strike by First Aberdeen workers
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AN ABERDEEN bus boss today launched a scathing attack on his own drivers, claiming they wanted a 52% pay rise.
New managing director of First Aberdeen, Bob Dorr, said the “simply unachievable” wage hike for drivers in Aberdeen would not happen “in any circumstances”.
Union bosses in Aberdeen today denied they had asked for a 52% hike for First Aberdeen drivers but admitted they had put forward a package which equated to a 40% rise.
First Aberdeen said its Aberdeen bus drivers had called for their pay packet to rocket by more than half by next year.
That would see the current wage of Aberdeen First bus drivers of between £24,000 and £34,000 jump to between £36,480 and £51,680.
And today First Aberdeen managing director Mr Dorr was adamant there was “no new money to put on the table”.
In an advert today in the Evening Express, First Aberdeen managing director Mr Dorr said: “Such a high claim is simply unachievable in any circumstances, let alone the worst recession in recent history.
“The current economic conditions are causing job losses in businesses everywhere, and, in our own city, hundreds of jobs have been lost since the start of the year.”
First Aberdeen boss Mr Dorr warned of the implications possible strike action by Aberdeen drivers could bring. He said: “When drivers go on strike everyone loses.”
Drivers’ union Unite T&G today contested the 52% figure and claimed the Aberdeen drivers would be happy with a 4% rise.
However, Unite T&G official Mike Flynn admitted the union had asked for other benefits for the First Aberdeen drivers, including raising annual holiday entitlement from 28 to 30 days and a reduction in working hours.
Unite T&G official Mike Flynn said: “I think the company has just added all these things together and come-up with 52%. It would probably be about 40% if we were given everything, but we’re not asking for everything on the shopping list. The 4% would be enough for us to agree a way forward.”
A ballot on whether the First Aberdeen bus staff should strike over pay is due to close on Monday.
A First Aberdeen spokeswoman today claimed the company had received “documentation” from the Unite T&G workers’ union, calling for the 52% rise.
