Hundreds of bus drivers vote to strike in Sunderland in pay dispute
Industrial action will be taken in the city from 11th - 15th October
Hundreds of bus drivers have voted to go on strike in the latest outbreak of industrial action sweeping the country.
Members of the GMB employed by Stagecoach in Sunderland backed strikes by 97% on an 83% turnout.
The GMB said workers were angry after being offered a 4% pay rise with 2% to follow later in the year.
GMB official Stuart Gilhespy said:
"Sunderland's bus drivers have voted for strike action.
"This was the last thing anybody wanted, but Stagecoach left them with no choice.
"They are desperately struggling through this cost of living crisis and Stagecoach bosses are trying to force them to take a huge pay cut.
"Sunderland will grind to a halt and the blame lies entirely with Stagecoach."
Steve Walker, managing director for Stagecoach North East said:
"We are very disappointed that GMB has advised us that its members will be taking strike action from Tuesday October 11 to Saturday October 15.
"We would like to reassure customers that our services will not be adversely affected on these days of strike action and services will continue to run.
"We have reached agreement with trade unions at our other north east depots, including in South Shields and at the two Newcastle depots, and the proposals we have put forward for Sunderland are similar and represent a good pay deal for our employees.
"We remain open to continuing discussions with the union and would urge them to continue working with us to find a way forward rather than resorting to unnecessary strike action."
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