WATCH: First Aberdeen drivers to continue industrial action over Easter Weekend

First Bus drivers in Aberdeen may not be in work today, but not because they're taking the Easter long weekend.

Staff across the city are headed to the picket at King Street in the ongoing row about pay and conditions - meaning there's disruption to services across the city.

Around 200 drivers met yesterday to discuss the next steps – voting to continue industrial action.

Unite First Bus Branch convenor, Graham Gavin said “Andrew Jarvis the First Bus Managing Director likes to talk about give and take in these negotiations. Well it’s Unite members that are doing all the giving and First Bus doing the taking. The point of view of our union members is that ‘they want the shirt off our back”

Joint convenor Mike Flinn added: “The mood in the meeting was fantastic. There were more than 200 drivers there and they’re determined to fight to get a decent deal. If you ask me they’ve got fire in their bellies.”

First Aberdeen bosses says they're surprised driver's weren't balloted on the latest action, and an urgent meeting with union reps has been asked for.

But the firm says noone's been made available for that to happen.

Andrew Jarvis, managing director said: “Everyone at First Aberdeen is extremely frustrated and bitterly disappointed by the outcome of the latest Unite the Union branch meeting. A revised proposal was negotiated by both parties to a point, which we believed met all but one element of all concerns raised by Unite members, so we cannot understand why this proposal was not put forward for an official ballot.

“We are very surprised that the latest branch meeting did not result in the revised proposal being put to a ballot in an official capacity of one member getting one anonymous vote, which is then officially recorded and counted. The Branch Meeting reportedly contained less than a third of the driving workforce and their members were asked to take part in a ‘straw poll style’ raising of the hands vote. This is simply no way to determine an official outcome that is reflective of the entire workforce in this scenario.

“We had requested an urgent meeting with our Trade Union colleagues in order to try and end this dispute, however, we have subsequently been informed that the Trade Union official is unavailable. We have now made contact with ACAS and requested that they now become involved in an attempt to facilitate a resolution to this dispute so that our employees can get back to work delivering a service to our passengers.”

North East Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald has tabled a motion in the Scottish Parliament backing drivers, the motion states:

“That the Parliament regrets the failure of talks to avert indefinite strike action on Aberdeen’s buses; recognises that the proposals by First Aberdeen to impose new contracts on drivers will result in an increase in drivers’ working hours for reduced wages, reduced sick pay, reduced annual leave and holiday pay, with some of the company’s most loyal and long-serving bus drivers set to lose more than £5,000 a year; shares concerns expressed about safety as a result of the long shifts for drivers proposed by the company, and about the impact of proposed mandatory split shifts on drivers and their families; calls for meaningful negotiations to resume without delay, and for First Aberdeen to agree to use the services of ACAS if necessary in order to avoid the disruption and loss of confidence in public transport which will result from a prolonged industrial dispute in Aberdeen."