Hundreds of bus drivers and engineers are to go on strike in a dispute over pay, threatening disruption to services.
Members of Unite employed by Arriva in Yorkshire will stage an indefinite walkout from this Monday (June 6) unless management can get them to call it off at the last minute.
It means Arriva will be unable to operate many bus services across Doncaster, Selby, York, Goole as well as destinations in West Yorkshire.
All Arriva pre-paid tickets will be accepted on First Bus & Transdev buses.
For the duration of the industrial action, journey planning in the Yorkshire region on the Arriva website and Arriva UK Bus App will be disabled.
Arriva North East bus services that operate into North Yorkshire are NOT affected by strike action.
The union said its 650 members voted overwhelmingly against a 4.1% pay increase, describing it as far below the RPI inflation rate, which is now in double figures.
Unite regional officer Phil Bown said: “Strike action will inevitably cause significant disruption and delays for the Yorkshire travelling public, but this dispute is entirely of Arriva’s own making.
“Our members are already suffering from poverty pay and the company is trying to make the situation even worse.”
[adrotate group=”3″]
Gavin Peace, Area Operations Director for Arriva North East & Yorkshire, commented:
“We are extremely disappointed that Unite are pressing ahead with strike action for an
indefinite period across services in Yorkshire.
“There is simply no justification for this action which will seriously inconvenience
communities across Yorkshire, including students travelling for their GCSE exams.
“Arriva put forward a generous pay offer before the strike was called, yet the Union
refused to put this offer to their own membership and are instead choosing to strike
Unite the Union should immediately end this harmful strike and now put Arriva’s pay
offer to their members in a ballot.”
Commenting on suggestions that the strike follows a 4.1% pay offer, Gavin Peace
added:
“This is incorrect. Arriva offered a substantially improved pay offer which Unite are
refusing to ballot their members on.
“This isn’t fair to our employees and communities across Yorkshire who want this issue resolved. The strike should be immediately suspended while Unite’s members vote on the fair and generous offer.”
[tptn_list limit=3 daily=1 hour_range=1]