Bus drivers in Sheffield, Barnsley and Rotherham vote for 7 day strike over pay dispute
Bus passengers in South Yorkshire face disruption after drivers voted to strike amid a dispute over pay.
More than 560 Stagecoach workers in depots in Sheffield, Barnsley and Rotherham, voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action after Unite members rejected a pay offer of 2 per cent.
Unite said in other areas of the country, drivers had been offered 6.5 per cent, 7.5 per cent "and even 10.5 per cent".
Stagecoach say their drivers "deserve a good pay rise" and had offered an hourly pay rate of 4.5 per cent to Unite workers.
Strike action will take place in Barnsley and Rotherham everyday between Saturday 27 November and Saturday 4 December. In Sheffield, drivers will strike daily between Sunday 28 November and Sunday 5 December.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Low pay is the scourge of the bus industry right across this country. Stagecoach made profits touching £60m last year and has £875m in the bank. Yet it cannot make a decent offer to its staff.
“Unite is pledged to fight for the jobs pay and conditions of our members so we will be relentless in the campaign to ensure that our members at Stagecoach, in South Yorkshire, get a fair deal.”
Phil Medlicott, Managing Director for Stagecoach Yorkshire, said the group remained "open to continuing discussions" and urged drivers to call off the "unnecessary action".
According to the union, Stagecoach’s latest accounts reveal that the group made a profit of £58.4 million in 2020 and that it has £875 million of available liquidity.
Mr Medlicott said: “We’re extremely sorry that the action being taken by Unite means that we are unable to run any bus services from Saturday 27 November until Friday 3 December in Barnsley, Rotherham, Dearne Valley and West Yorkshire and from Sunday 28 November until Saturday 4 December for services in Sheffield.
“We know that our employees deserve a good pay rise and we have left no stone unturned in our attempts to reach a settlement with Unite by offering employees an increase to the hourly pay rate of 4.5%."
“Despite the positive and flexible approach we have taken in talks with the union, it’s very disappointing that this has progressed to strike action which is in no-body's interests.
“We remain open to continuing discussions with the union and would urge them to call off this unnecessary action which will cause untold inconvenience to local communities and will hit the pockets of our employees and their families.”