Glasgow strike for big rise
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Greater Glasgow PTE maintenance staff continued their wages strike this week, despite the fact that the undertaking's management is unwilling to breach Government wages guidelines.
The men are seeking a rise of around 40 per cent, and have been on strike in support of this for nearly two weeks, and have rejected a productivity deal with possible loss of 80 jobs.
Industrial relations director Joe Coyle says that, even with an immediate return to work, it will be several days before a maintenance backlog can be cleared sufficiently to allow bus services in Glasgow to return to normal.
The voluntary labour force cut-back incorporated in the rejected productivity deal would still be met, Mr Coyle says, if staff are absorbed into the reopened underground system in the summer of next year.
Because GGPTE's maintenance staff wages are negotiated ahead of those elsewhere in the country, the six other PTEs in Britain are all keeping a close eye on the Glasgow dispute.
Glasgow's 950 buses having been out of service for several days are being missed less by the public than at the beginning of the dispute.
The PTE is concerned that this may have an effect on long term passenger demand.