Stagecoach workers are set to strike in Merseyside in a dispute over pay.
Further talks were held between Unite and Stagecoach this week as a strike planned for today (Thursday, June 30) was cancelled to allow workers to vote on Stagecoach's latest offer. But they failed to reach a breakthrough after Unite said its members "overwhelmingly decided" that the latest offer did not meet their expectations.
This means the bus strikes are now set to go ahead next week on Monday, July 4. The dispute affects 370 members of Unite, who are employed as bus drivers and engineers and work at the company's Gilmoss depot on the East Lancashire Road in Liverpool.
READ MORE: Grandad struggles to recognise daughters after being attacked outside pub
If the action takes place, Stagecoach bus services in Liverpool which operate from the Gillmoss depot will not run but Stagecoach bus services which operate into Liverpool from the Wirral and Southport and Preston will be unaffected.
The company initially offered a 9.5% pay increase to all employees at the Gillmoss depot, with a further inflationary rise in 2023. Following further talks, the offer was increased to 10.3%, which the company described as a "reasonable offer in these difficult times."
However, Unite said its members’ anger over low pay at Stagecoach is deep-seated and that pay rates are below those of competitors in the region. The union said that while bus drivers are struggling to make ends meet, Stagecoach's profits have dramatically increased.
The company's accounts for the second half of 2021 show that the firm's profits had more than doubled from £16.1m to £32.9m. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Stagecoach makes money hand over fist. Our members are making it abundantly clear that they will not accept being underpaid by this wealthy company any longer.
“Stagecoach can easily afford to pay its workers a decent wage but its repeated refusal to do so is why these strikes will go ahead. Our members at Stagecoach will receive the union’s complete support until this dispute is resolved.”
If the dispute is not resolved then it is expected that further dates for industrial action will be announced in the near future.
Unite regional officer Dave Roberts said: "Strike action will undoubtedly cause severe disruption to bus services across Merseyside. This is a direct result of drivers having to endure years of low pay. They have made it entirely clear that this is no longer acceptable.
“Even at this late stage strikes could be avoided but Stagecoach needs to return to the negotiating table and make an offer that tackles the long-term problems that have created this dispute.”
Matt Davies, Managing Director for Stagecoach Merseyside, said: "Despite more than 100 of our employees - a third of our workforce - voting for our significant pay offer, we are disappointed that it has been rejected. This is the second time that a deal recommended by the Unite union has not been taken forward.
"We have offered a deal to our employees at Gillmoss that would see pay increased from Sunday by 10.3%, which we're sure most members of the public would agree is a reasonable offer in these difficult times.
"We are committed to offering good pay packages for our people and remain open for talks with Unite. However, at the same time we have to think about the future of the bus network and the implications that higher pay demands have on the cost and scope of the services we can offer the local community.
"We're sorry that our passengers will be inconvenienced by unnecessary strike action. The planned strike action by Unite now means that services will be disrupted on Monday 4 July. Bus services which operate into Liverpool from the Wirral and Southport and Preston will be unaffected.
"More information about the services available will be published on our website stagecoachbus.com."
READ NEXT:
Nurse 'vomits blood' after meal at Gino D'Acampo's restaurant
Grandad struggles to recognise daughters after being attacked outside pub
Model who died after being left in a trunk for days was 'life of the party'
15 things you could do in 1980s Liverpool that you can't do now
Met Office warning as thunderstorms to batter the North West
