Planned bus strikes by Stagecoach workers in Merseyside have been suspended to allow staff to vote on a new pay deal.
The proposed strikes, by members of Unite, were due to take place tomorrow (Friday July 15) and again on Monday July 18. These days of action have been called off to allow a new vote to take place amongst members.
The move comes after extensive negotiations held on Wednesday July 13 resulted in Stagecoach and Unite agreeing on a new pay offer. Unite regional officer Dave Roberts said: “Following a significantly improved offer from Stagecoach, Unite has suspended the two forthcoming one day strikes in order to ballot its members on the new offer.”
READ MORE: How do you feel about the bus strike?
If workers at Stagecoach reject the new pay offer, then the all-out continuous strike action due to begin from Wednesday July 20 will go ahead as planned. This would coincide with Arriva bus workers from across the north west beginning their own strike action on the same day.
Approximately 370 Stagecoach bus workers based at the company’s Gilmoss depot are involved in the dispute. An initial one day strike was held in the dispute on Monday, July 4.
A note on Stagecoach's website, posted yesterday confirmed that the two upcoming strike days have been suspended. It reads: "Customers are advised that proposed industrial strike action to take place in Liverpool on Friday 15 and Monday 18 July has been cancelled whilst revised proposals are discussed by our employees."
As things stand, the Arriva stikes are set to begin on Wednesday after talks between the company and union bosses stalled. Unite says its members are striking over a 'pitiful' pay offer from the German-owned transport giant of just 3% with no strings attached, or 6% which included reductions in sick pay and loss of Saturday enhanced pay. The union has pointed out that both the offers are far below the current real inflation rate (RPI) of 11.7% and so constitute a real terms pay cut.
An Arriva spokesperson today said: "We are deeply disappointed by this totally unjustified strike action, due to begin on July 20. We urge Unite and GMB to work with us to agree a way forward, rather than moving the goalposts on a previously recommended pay deal which met the Union’s aspirations for their members."
The depots involved in the Arriva 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 the union cited that drivers at Winsford, for example, are paid just £11.08 an hour. The GMB union is also involved in the industrial dispute.
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