UK: Fire and rehire contract deadline nears for striking Go North West bus drivers
The strike by over 400 Manchester bus drivers against fire and rehire contracts being imposed by Go North West has reached its eleventh hour, with just over a week until the deadline for mass dismissal on May 8.
The strike action, which has entered its eighth week, is one of the longest disputes for over a generation on the national bus network. It testifies to the determination of workers to withstand a vicious assault on their terms and conditions imposed by dictatorial methods. The outcome of this fight will have repercussions for bus workers and the entire working class. Go-Ahead, the parent company of Go North West, is establishing a new benchmark of exploitation at the Cheetham Hill depot including a 10 percent wage cut.
Dan Whelan
The Greater Manchester, Merseyside and West Yorkshire pension funds have appointed 27 companies to provide services across their combined £46bn property portfolio, including management and valuations, to enable “a more cost-effective approach”.
Full list of firms below
Formerly known as Northern Pool, the three pension funds are known collectively as the Northern LGPS – the largest of the eight Local Government Pension Scheme pools, and has combined assets under management of £46bn.
The assets include stakes in the £1bn Airport City in Manchester, a project being delivered in joint venture with Beijing Construction Engineering Group International and Manchester Airports Group, and Hythe, a 34,000 sq ft office block and 70,000 sq ft logistics scheme at Wirral Waters, Merseyside.