Stagecoach buses announce strike dates
There are seven confirmed dates for May.
Around 500 Stagecoach bus drivers across Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway are announcing seven days of strike action next month.
The Unite union is in a row with the firm about a 4 per cent pay offer, which they say isn't enough.
The first of the strikes will be happening next Friday.
Affected depots include Ayr, Arran, Ardrossan, Dumfries, Kilmarnock and Stranraer.
The confirmed dates for strike action are 2, 6, 9, 12, 16, 19, and 23 May, and they will all be out of service from 4am until half past midnight the following day.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite’s members in Stagecoach West Scotland are being forced to take strike action because of an unacceptable pay offer.
“It is a profitable company and it can easily afford to put a fairer offer on the table for its hard working drivers. We will fully back our members in their fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”
Unite says the current offer would result in its workers remaining one of the poorest paid across Stagecoach’s UK operations.
It believes that the company can afford to pay more after its profit after tax skyrocketed from £1.3m in 2023 to £2.99m in 2024,
During the same period, the company’s revenue increased by almost £9m, sitting at £59.7m.
Siobhan McCready, Unite industrial officer, said: “Our drivers are on one of the lowest rates of pay across the whole Stagecoach group. It’s unacceptable that the company has refused to tackle low pay.”
“Unite’s members have no option but to take strike action to get a fair pay rise. They are simply seeking pay parity. Strike action during May is set to bring bus services to a stop but the blame for any disruption lies squarely with Stagecoach.”
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