Arriva has warned of "misery" in the North West after a recent vote from union members on a new pay offer was rejected.
There is no end in sight for Arriva's bus strikes after Tuesday's ballot saw 79% of members vote against the latest pay offer from the bus firm, understood to be in the region of 9.6%. It means the continuous strikes have gone into a 29th day.
The action has been taking place every day since July 20 as drivers and workers fight for a fairer pay deal. During that period there have been no Arriva buses available across the whole of Merseyside except for specific hospital services.
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Arriva had said it had hoped the new offer would be accepted and that buses would be back on the roads of Merseyside today (Wednesday). That will not now happen and Arriva is warning of "misery" for customers trying to commute.
An Arriva spokesperson said: "We are incredibly disappointed that Unite and GMB members have voted not to accept our latest pay offer, inflicting yet further disruption and misery on our customers in the North West. Following the rejection of our latest pay offer today we agreed to meet the Union's pay demand in an attempt to end this strike action.
"The Unions responded by significantly increasing their pay demand for the second time in this process. This brings into question their intentions.
"The Unions are fully aware of the financial implications we face and the implications for our customers and local bus networks across the North West. We will continue to do all we can to resolve this dispute as quickly as possible.
"We understand the detrimental impact this situation is having on our customers, our communities, our local economy - we urge the unions to reconsider their position, act in good faith and show a genuine willingness to resolve this dispute for the benefit of their members and our customers."
George Patterson, GMB regional organiser, said: “Working people are facing the worst cost of living crisis for a generation. These drivers are fighting for a fair pay rise to help them through it. We need something better from Arriva. Bus drivers need to know that they’ll be able to cover their bills.
“We won’t stop fighting for our members to get the decent pay they deserve.”
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