First and Unite sign frontline staff agreement

First Bus and its trade union partner, Unite the Union, have reached a new learning agreement to improve opportunities for frontline colleagues across the business.

Born out of the National Joint Consultative Forum (NJCF), this new partnership sees a significant investment from First Bus, creating six learning centre hubs for its frontline colleagues across its UK operations.

A further six satellite sites will also be created to ensure every frontline colleague has access to a learning centre.

Both vocational and non-vocational modules will be available to all colleagues alongside support from a trained and full-time Trade Union Learning Representative in each location.

The learning centres will offer all frontline colleagues a dedicated facility that puts continual learning opportunities outside of their day-to-day skillset at the forefront, equipping them with new skills to drive forward their careers and better support First Bus customers.

“Working in the bus industry is a great career choice, and creating these new learning centres means the opportunities to develop for our frontline colleagues are endless” – Janette Bell, Managing Director for First Bus

Janette Bell, Managing Director for First Bus, said: “This is an important investment as we continue our business transformation. The new learning agreement builds on the strong foundations of an ongoing education partnership with Unite the Union that has spanned over 23 years.

“We are putting our people and customers at the heart of everything we do, and this latest step will be vital in creating a better environment for our frontline colleagues to support and encourage continuous learning and breakdown the barriers to opportunity.

“Working in the bus industry is a great career choice, and creating these new learning centres means the opportunities to develop for our frontline colleagues are endless.”

“The signing of this new agreement and the evolution of our learning partnership is unique within our industry” – Scott Higgins, National Unite First Bus Chair

Scott Higgins, National Unite First Bus Chair, said: “The signing of this new agreement and the evolution of our learning partnership is unique within our industry. It is an exciting opportunity for our members to learn and develop new skills through both vocational and non-vocational activities.

“The modernisation plans and the benefits from the continued investment by our employer into this joint venture will be truly welcomed by all frontline colleagues moving forward.”