Go North East bus strikes could continue beyond Christmas as pay talks with Unite fall down

Negotiations are due to resume on Monday 27 November. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

Strikes that have crippled North East bus services could continue beyond Christmas.

It comes after a third bid to end industrial action has fallen short of resolution.

Unite the union say they believed they were nearing an agreement with Go North East but are now preparing to ballot members for a second time which could see strike action continue into the new year.

More than 1,300 drivers, engineers and other workers are into their fourth week of a continuous walkout following two previous weeks of action in October.

Services have largely ground to a halt during the industrial action. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees.

A skeleton service has been reinstated on some routes with buses being driven by office workers and drivers who have returned to work.

Workers have rejected a 10.3% pay rise, which Go North East say is a "fair deal" that would make drivers the best paid in the region.

Unite had been calling for a 13% rise and complained drivers at Go North West earn an average hourly wage that is more than £5,000 a year higher than their North East counterparts.

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Unite regional officer Suzanne Reid said: "We got incredibly close.

"What we keep saying is that if they put a fair offer on the table, then we will be able to turn things around in 48 hours and get us back to normal and people will be able to rely on buses again to do their Christmas shopping, get their kids to school etc."

Negotiations are due to resume on Monday 27 November.

Workers at Go North East have protested at picket lines across the region. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees.

Ben Maxfield, Go North East's business director, said: "We are deeply concerned about the impact Unite's strike is having on the people of the North East and our priority is to resolve it and get buses back out on the road.

"This again puts into question how serious Unite are about a settlement or whether the union's goal is simply to strike for as long as possible.

"We are urging Unite to negotiate with us, so we can settle the dispute and get the region's buses back out on the road."

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Under the law, workers taking industrial action have legal protection for 12 weeks from when it started.

As Unite members at Go North East began their first strike week on September 30, that 12-week period allowed under the current ballot would end on 22 December.

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