Bus strike to go Permanent

The ongoing bus strike over pay raise across Barnsley may become permanent

The Unite union have threatened to make there strike action permanent on January 2nd. The original strike action started Saturday 27 November to Friday 3 December and the second strike started on Saturday 11 December – Friday 17th December. A statement posted by unite northeast Yorkshire and Humber yesterday stated ,“stagecoach Yorkshire management have had plenty of time to resolve the ongoing dispute but they’re dragging their heels”. This affects 560 members who state they have been paid below inflation. Unite voted to reject a new pay deal that put forward by stagecoach on Friday.

Members reportedly being offered a two per cent pay rise in November, which Unite labelled a “poverty pay rise”. The new deal was made up of an increase to the hourly pay rate of six per cent. The unite had said the offer was “well below their expectations”.

Sharon Graham said “low pay is the fundamental reason why workers are voting with their feet and leaving the bus sector. Stagecoach afford to offer workers a fair pay rise, but it had chosen not to do so.” The companies stated there would be no job losses among drivers the union stated that workers at its Barnsley and Rawmarsh depots would begin their latest walkout on New Year’s Day, Saturday, January 1 however the ones in Holbrook and Ecclesfield depots, serving Sheffield would stop working on Sunday, January 2nd.

Stagecoach staff had ruled out industrial action during the Christmas period itself say they didn’t want to disrupt family plans. Phil Medlicott the director for stagecoach had said “we know our employees deserve a good pay rise and have offered employees a total offer of 9% on the current pay rate within six months.

“we feel that’s is more than fair and that unite union is now being unreasonable by not this offer back to member to vote on.”