A major UK city faces a fresh swathe of crippling transport strikes as bus company staff working for various operators walk out in an angry row over pay. Days ago it was revealed over 2,000 bus drivers working for various operators in Greater Manchester’s new integrated Bee Network would strike from 19-22nd September, sparking “major disruption”.
Now – before that walk-out has even happened – Unite’s announced the same 2,000 staff at Stagecoach, Metroline and First Bus Rochdale will also walk-out from 30th September to 2nd October. The Unite trade union said drivers working for various operators under the publicly controlled Bee Network have rejected pay offers ranging between 3.5 and 6 percent following months of negotiations.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “These companies are very profitable but are putting greed over their hard working members of staff.
“Further strike action will be extremely disruptive however this is a dispute entirely of the bus companies’ making and they could solve it easily by coming back with a better deal.
“Our members involved in the dispute have Unite’s complete support.”
Unite claims their members at the companies do not believe the current pay rises “reflect the difficult and skilled jobs they do and fail to address years of low pay”, while workers at First Bus Rochdale “are the worst paid in the region”.
Yet they say “Stagecoach, Metroline and First Bus Rochdale (part of First Group PLC(), are all firms which have seen a rise in profits in recent years.”
The first series of strikes by Unite members at the firms will take place this Friday (19 September) until 22 September. Given the number of drivers and companies involved, around two-thirds of Bee Network buses will not run at all, including some school services.
Industrial action is also expected to impact several events in the city this weekend, including Manchester United v Chelsea at Old Trafford, comedian Peter Kay’s gig at the AO Arena and singer Tom Grennan’s concert at Coop Live. Strikes will also clash with students moving to the city ahead of freshers’ week.
Unite regional officer Colin Hayden said: “The strikes this week as well as the further action we have called will cause travel chaos in Greater Manchester.
“However, it is entirely the fault of the employers involved, who have failed to address the issue of low pay and reward their staff accordingly.
“Unite is not afraid to escalate to more strikes, which will only intensify going forward. It is time for the employers to make an offer that is acceptable to our members to resolve this disruption.”
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) said it was “monitoring the situation closely” with pay settlements a matter between staff and the individual operators.
But TfGM Chief Network Officer, Danny Vaughan, said of the strikes: “Bus operators across the country are responsible for the pay and conditions of their staff.
“We are encouraging operators and their unions to continue talks, reach agreement and avoid disruption for passengers.
“Around two-thirds of buses will not run if bus operator staff take industrial action. We know this will impact people’s ability to get around and we’re very sorry for any disruption or inconvenience.
“Trams and trains will run as normal, as well as some buses in parts of Greater Manchester. People should check to see if their bus service is affected and, if so, plan an alternative journey ahead of time.
“It will be busier than normal and we’re urging people to leave plenty of time when travelling around the city-region.
“We are doing all we can to let people know about this and minimise the disruption and keep Greater Manchester moving.
“Our teams will be out helping passengers, bus tickets and passes will be accepted on trams, and all other public transport services will run as normal.”