Lothian Buses staff are set to strike from 2 August - throwing Fringe travel into chaos

As if things weren't hectic enough during the Edinburgh Festival, Lothian Buses staff have announced they plan to strike 'indefinitely' from 3am on 2 August - if their demands are not met.

A spokesperson from the trade union Unite said:

"I have issued notice to Lothian Buses for strike action to commence at 3am on August 2 and that will be continuous action."

However, it's understood that the bus company have now given Unite fresh proposals, which they will now take to their members.

The Unite spokesperson went on to say: "We are hopeful that our members will accept the proposals.” Ballots will be held on Friday 26 July in the hopes of averting the strike.

The last-minute offer tabled by the company also includes a 2.7 per cent pay rise.

The strike action has been called due to what the union has previously described as a “toxic culture” of bullying and harassment. Some staff have said they have been the victims of a "hostile and aggressive" management culture and this has led to concerns over victimisation and job security.

An official ballot held last month showed that 91% of their members supported strike action.

the ballot had delivered an emphatic result, adding: "The scale of the result is testament to the lack of trust and confidence which Unite's 1700-strong membership has in the current Lothian Buses management.

Richard Hall, Lothian Buses managing director, previously said: "We've held amicable discussions with union officials over recent weeks and we hope that Unite will enter into next week's meeting at Acas with a resolve to avoid strike action that would be damaging for Edinburgh's population and visitors, as well as all our colleagues in the business.

"Should the union take the decision to go out on strike, we will continue to work positively with all our colleagues across the business whether they have voted in favour or not.

"We sincerely hope that strike action will be averted, however."

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