Stagecoach West bus drivers vote to take strike action
Unite the Union are giving the bus operator one last chance to incrase pay before strike action is taken
Last updated 11th Feb 2022
Over 300 bus drivers at Stagecoach West have voted to go on strike over a dispute about pay.
Unite the Union hve held a ballot over the past three weeks to give members a chance to decide if they are prepared to strike.
Drivers are currently paid under £11 an hour which drivers say isn't enough for a highly demanding and reponsible role.
Unite has decided not to announce strike action immediately in order to give Stagecoach West a final opportunity to make a pay offer which meets workers’ expectations.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Stagecoach needs to end its penny-pinching and pay bus workers a decent wage. Unite has been relentless in its campaign to ensure our members at Stagecoach across the country receive a fair pay increase.
“Unite does what it says on the trade union tin and always puts the jobs, pay and conditions of its members first. Our members at Stagecoach West will be receiving Unite’s unequivocal support until this dispute is resolved.”
If strike action goes ahead it will affect all of Stagecoach West’s operations from its depots in Bristol, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud, Colway and Ross-on-Wye.
Unite regional officer Shevaun Hunt said: “Stagecoach is drinking in the last chance saloon. Unite is delaying strike dates in order to give the company a final opportunity to make a decent offer that members can accept.
“There is still a real possibility that strikes, which will cause widespread disruption to bus passengers throughout Gloucestershire, can be avoided but the ball is firmly in Stagecoach’s court.”
In a statement, Stagecoach urges Unite to "put customers first and be prepared to return to talks showing flexibility in finding a way forward, without resorting to unnecessary strike action that would cause damage to local communities and major inconvenience to customers and employees". Rachel Geliamassi, the Managing Director of Stagecoach West says "we have already been in touch with Unite to ask for a meeting to discuss a way forward.
“At a time when we should be working together to protect jobs and services and we’re making some really positive steps to improve the reliability of our services, disruption as a result of strike action would set back the recovery of bus services and come as a real kick in the teeth for our local communities. "
The bus operator has proposed pay increases of up to 10% covering employees across five depots in Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud, Coalway and Bristol, which have been rejected by Unite.