Bus workers employed by Arriva in Greater Manchester have voted unanimously for strike action in a dispute over pay.
The union, Unite, said 'all-out continuous strike action' would begin on Wednesday, July 20, with depots involved including Bolton and Manchester among others in the North West. Union bosses have labelled an offered pay rise of three per cent as 'pitiful'.
Around 1,800 workers returned a 96 per cent 'yes' vote in favour of strike action on a 72 per cent turnout, revealed the union in a statement. Arriva said in response that further talks were planned for later this week.
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Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "This dispute is entirely of Arriva's own making. It can fully afford to ensure its workers receive decent pay and conditions. Instead, Arriva has made our members a pitiful offer. Not only do they want workers to accept a real terms pay cut, they also want them to sacrifice their sick pay. This is just not acceptable.
"Unite will back these members to the hilt until this dispute is resolved and they receive a decent pay increase."
The depots involved in the dispute are: Birkenhead, Bolton, Bootle, Liverpool, Macclesfield, Manchester, Runcorn, Southport, Speke, St Helens, and Winsford. Pay rates for bus drivers differ between the various depots but, as an example, drivers at Winsford are paid just £11.08 an hour, said the union.
Unite said its members were striking over a 'pitiful' pay offer from the German-owned transport giant of three per cent 'with no strings attached', or six per cent which included reductions in sick pay and loss of Saturday enhanced pay. Both offers fall far below the current real inflation rate (RPI) of 11.7 per cent, and so constitute a pay cut, the union added.
Unite regional officer Dave Roberts said: "The forthcoming strike action is set to cause widespread disruption to bus services throughout the North West. However, this dispute is all about greed not need. Arriva could make its workers a decent offer but it chose not to.
"Even now strikes can be avoided if Arriva made an offer which meets members' expectations and returns to the negotiating table."
The GMB union is also involved in the industrial dispute.
Arriva said in a statement: "Further discussions with our trade union partners, Unite and GMB, are being held later this week. We remain focused on offering a fair and affordable pay deal which is reflective of our unions' aspirations as well as ensuring our vital bus services and networks are sustainable across the region. We will update when there's news."
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