The parliamentarians’ report Broken commitments, vulnerable workers follows their visit to the USA, organised by the ITF and the Teamsters union, to examine the situation at the subsidiary, school bus company Durham School Services.
The two members of parliament, Jim Sheridan and Ian Lavery, found evidence of systemic anti-union bias at Durham, along with poor working conditions and concerns over health and safety.
Their findings led to the tabling of an early day motion in the UK’s parliament, as well as this latest report.
Sheridan stated: “We find depressing the stories we are hearing from US workers about the way a subsidiary of a renowned UK-based company treats its workers. A child in the USA is just as important as a child in the UK.”
Inland transport section secretary Mac Urata stated that Lavery and Sheridan's findings are consistent with the ITF and its affiliates' own investigations over the last five years. National Express is continuing to abuse worker rights for bus drivers in the USA, he said, and warned that cutting corners on employee respect and bus safety is a recipe for disaster.
The report is likely to reinforce the case for an independent review of Durham’s working practices, as recommended in a shareholder resolution sponsored by the Teamsters that will be voted on at the National Express annual general meeting in London on 6 May.
