Workers at Manchester’s Bee Network are striking across sectors, rejecting insulting pay offers, overstretched hours, and disrespect from their employer, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).
Members of Unite and Unison have led industrial actions across Manchester, in a stirring step forward for the local labour movement. And this action is set to continue over the busy festive period.
The Bee Network – touted by Labour Mayor Andy Burnham as a shining example of public ownership and his municipalist ‘Manchester model’ – is in fact a franchised system, operated by bidding private companies.
So despite Labour championing the Bee Network as a “bus revolution”, workers recognise that it is anything but: they are being undercut, and aren’t getting the respect they deserve.
Militant mood
Spirits at the picket were high, jovial, and determined. Workers were keen to talk about their own vision, going beyond the immediate strike demands: free and accessible transport, full nationalisation, and even revolution were on the cards.
Strikers brought a table to the picket line, inviting the bosses back to negotiations. A round of Happy Birthday was sung for TfGM higher-ups, in light of their extravagant bonuses. To quote one union representative we spoke with: “damn the torpedoes, it’s about respect.”
As disputes have stretched on, TfGM – acting in the interests of the private companies the Bee Network is franchised out to – have brazenly disregarded their workers, who keep the service running day in, day out.
After countering an initial demand of a 9 percent pay increase with a paltry 3.2 percent, unions took their demand down to 5.6 percent, at which point TfGM countered… with 3.2 percent!
And on Monday 25 November, just hours before a meeting between representatives and TfGM was due to start, TfGM cancelled it, ensuring that the planned action would continue.
With tram and bus drivers set to strike in December and no deal in sight, it looks like this fight might just be getting started.
Strength in numbers
TfGM workers will next strike on 19 and 20 December, coinciding with Bee Network bus strikes. If this materialises, it will be a promising escalation of pressure on TfGM, and should be supported and encouraged specifically.
It’s a great start that workers across unions and sectors are striking together. Now the unions must seize this opportunity to coordinate further across the city between workers in the public sector. As one striker told The Communist: “we have to fight together, otherwise we’ll get nowhere.”
We say: target actions, connect the struggles, and make the voice of the workers as powerful as it can be!
Only by maximising the pressure, by making themselves unignorable, will workers start to reclaim the power that’s being denied to them.
Comrades of the Manchester RCP will be heading to the upcoming Bee Network strikes to show our solidarity and support the struggle. Get in touch with us to join us!
