Ten Gibraltar Bus Drivers Offered Permanent Contracts
Ten supply drivers at the Gibraltar Bus Company have been offered permanent contracts as part of a new agreement between the Government, the GGCA and GBCL management. The agreement also includes improvements to driver facilities and rest breaks, while a second round of the bus driver training scheme will open to recruit ten new supply drivers.
A statement from the Government follows below:
The Minister for Transport met yesterday with representatives of the Gibraltar General and Clerical Association (GGCA) and Gibraltar Bus Company Limited (GBCL) management to announce an agreement covering driver employment, recruitment and working conditions.
Under the agreement, ten supply drivers currently working for the Company have been offered permanent contracts of employment. These are drivers who have given consistent service on a supply basis and who will now move onto the permanent establishment, providing them with job security and giving the Company a stable, experienced core of drivers to continue offering the service expected by the public along with allowing more routes to be offered and other services such as Upper Rock Shuttle, the Beach Bus and transport to major events.
The ten supply positions created by these appointments will be filled through a second round of the bus driver training scheme, run jointly by the Ministry for Transport and the Ministry of Employment. The scheme offers local candidates a route into a skilled, well-paid occupation, with training provided from the outset. Details of how to apply will be announced shortly.
The agreement also delivers a package of improvements to driver facilities, rest break arrangements and associated Company policies, negotiated between The Ministry of Transport, GBCL management and the GGCA including a new restroom at Market Place and other benefits to assist drivers. These measures strengthen the Company's ability to deliver a reliable public bus service while improving the working conditions of the drivers who operate it.
Minister Cortes addressed GBCL employees this afternoon to advise them of the agreement and future commitments.
Negotiations continue with regard to pay, conditions and structure.
The Hon. Prof. John Cortes MBE MP, Minister for Education, the Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change, Heritage, Transport and Traffic, and Technical Services, said: “As I told the staff today, I am extremely proud of the Bus Company and of the service that they provide the community. We have engaged positively and constructively with the staff representatives, further improving their conditions, and we will continue together to improve the service we provide the community”.
