SHEFFIELD BALLOTS ON 40 HR WEEK
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CHAOS regined in Sheffield this week as busmen continued their overtime ban in protest at the length of time taken to reach an agreement overpay and conditions.
Now the men are losing overtime pay — because South Yorks PTE officials are so busy working out plans to beat the commuter chaos that they cannot spare the time to work on the agreement with the men.
Busmen in the city decided on the overtime ban despite a new scheduling agreement being worked out. Both sides in the dispute agreed that the new deal should be studied by them and then made known to the men.
In spite of this, the men decided to ban overtime in .protest at the time taken to reach agreement.
Now the men are to hold a separate ballot to decide on whether they should press for a 40-hour week, and it is thought that officials and the transport workers union will use this to try to get the ban called off.
South Yorks PTE has been faced with three courses. It can either abandon its cheap fares scheme which has attracted many commuters to the buses, so that the workload can be eased, recruit new staff, or alter the agreements — and it's the last course that it is trying.
The overtime ban has meant that Sheffield is, in effect, short of 170 crews, which is putting an extra load on staff — and it says that the agreements need working out again because the crews are overworked.