A long-running strike of Arriva bus drivers will continue today, with hope that new pay talks could finally bring it to an end.
This is the 17th straight day of the strike, which has left large parts of the region without access to local public transport.. The ECHO understands there will be fresh talks today with the hope of finding some form of resolution that will get buses back on the streets of Merseyside.
While the strikes have widespread public support in the region, many are now feeling the impact. Some areas of Merseyside are only served by Arriva services, with no rail stations nearby. People have reported paying out large sums to get taxis to and from work over the course of the strike.
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The dispute is essentially about pay. Arriva drivers, represented by the UNITE and GMB unions, said they require a decent pay rise in order to keep up with spiralling inflation and the soaring cost of living.
Earlier this week, the two sides met, with Arriva claiming a 'generous' new offer was made of an 8.5% rise, backdated to March. This offer was dismissed outright by the unions, who described it as an insult.
A statement from striking drivers said they were left in 'anger and disbelief' at what they said was not actually a new offer at all, with 8.5% being offered previously by the bus operator.
Speaking to the ECHO, the drivers said: "The sense of fair play in any dispute or negotiations is important to getting it resolved. It was announced last week that Arriva had called a meeting for Monday August 1 to table an ‘improved offer’. This gave hope to us as striking workers, our families and the travelling public; who kept coming back to us on the picket line to check for updates.
"Remarkably, this ‘improved offer’ never came. Instead, at around 4pm, news fed through the picket line that it was 8.5%, which was the same figure that was offered before the strike started. The anger and disbelief on the picket line was palpable and a realisation that Arriva, who once called its workforce ‘loyal heroes’ now thinks we are stupid."
Arriva confirmed that there has been no breakthrough in talks. Responding to the latest criticism from drivers, a spokesperson said: "Arriva’s intention has always been to reward our employees with a pay rise – we know they do a great job which is why we have made another generous and improved offer. However, any pay rise has to be affordable in order to protect jobs for the long-term and sustain our network.
"With every offer we have made, we have always communicated the exact terms of the offer honestly and transparently with our employees, so there should not be any room for misunderstanding. It is wrong to suggest otherwise.”
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