Hundreds of bus drivers to go on strike across parts of Yorkshire
The strike action is getting underway indefinitely from today
Hundreds of bus drivers and engineers are to go on strike in a dispute over pay, threatening disruption to services.
Members of Unite employed by Arriva in Yorkshire will stage an indefinite walkout from June 6.
The union said its 650 members voted overwhelmingly against a 4.1% pay increase, describing it as far below the RPI inflation rate, which is now in double figures.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Arriva is part of a multi-billion company. It has no business demanding that workers get by on pitiful low pay so that its boardroom can get ever-richer. Arriva can easily afford to pay decently - it should do just that, or face industrial action.
"Unite's members, like all workers, are being pummelled by the cost-of-living crisis - they cannot and will not accept a real-terms pay cut. Unite will be giving our members its full and total support until this dispute is resolved."
Unite regional officer Phil Bown said: "Strike action will inevitably cause significant disruption and delays for the Yorkshire travelling public, but this dispute is entirely of Arriva's own making.
"Our members are already suffering from poverty pay and the company is trying to make the situation even worse."
In response, a spokesperson from Arriva told us:
"We are deeply disappointed that we were unable to reach an agreement with Union representatives today and Unite have confirmed they plan to hold a strike for an indefinite period across services in West Yorkshire from 02.00 Monday 6 June
"Such unjustified strike action will have an extremely negative impact on communities across the region, particularly at this crucial time of year for students undertaking GCSE exams.
"We put forward an improved and generous pay offer, which we were led to believe met Unite’s ambitions. Yet we now find the goal posts have been moved with demands for further increases.
"The mandate for strikes arose from a ballot of Unite members on a previous pay offer, meaning strikes have been announced without the improved proposal being put to employees by the Union.
"Arriva is calling on Unite to abandon their plans for this damaging and counter-productive strike and to ballot their members on the new offer."