Staff at two Bee Network bus operators – Metroline and Stagecoach – were due to take industrial action on Friday 10 October, Saturday 11 October and Monday 13 October.
Unite the Union has today announced that the strikes will be suspended whilst it ballots drivers on a new pay offer from the operators.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and the Mayor of Greater Manchester have been doing everything in their power to bring the negotiations between bus operators and union colleagues to a fair resolution.
Whilst bus operators and unions negotiate pay, TfGM has been driving forward a range of improvements only possible due to local control of buses as part of the Bee Network. The approach has bucked the national trend and reversed the decline in passenger numbers and services – safeguarding existing jobs and creating new ones.
TfGM has also launched the Licence for Greater Manchester to foster career progression for drivers; ensured all operators are members of the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter; introduced a largely new bus fleet; and invested in bus depots and staff toilet facilities. A first-of-a-kind Bee Network pension scheme for all operator staff is also in the works.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, said:
“Bus drivers are critical to the success of the Bee Network and we value what they do to keep Greater Manchester moving.
“We’ve been working hard to get to this point and are pleased Unite has called off this weekend’s strikes. We are hopeful that an agreement between operators and the union can be reached quickly to avoid further action.
“It’s important that both our passengers and the people who work on the Bee Network benefit from local control of public transport. We’re confident that, with the changes we’ve already made and more we’ve got planned, we’re making Greater Manchester one of the best places in the country to be a bus driver.”
