Commuters in Greater Manchester have been warned to expect severe disruption to bus services from Monday as bus drivers employed by First Manchester begin strike action in a dispute over pay and conditions.
The strike on Monday and Tuesday 11 January will go ahead after last minute peace talks held today failed to make progress.
The 300 plus drivers who are members of Unite recorded a 99 per cent vote in favour of strike action. Several rounds of negotiations have been held but broke down as First Manchester failed to make an offer which met workers’ expectations.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our members have been hailed as heroes for working throughout pandemic but that praise feels decidedly hollow when First Manchester is refusing to make our members a reasonable pay offer.
“Unite is the union which always prioritises the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and our bus drivers at First Manchester will be receiving the union’s unstinting support until this dispute is resolved.”
A key sticking point is the company’s refusal to backdate any pay increase to August 2021; the anniversary date for when the annual pay increase was due. The workers have made it clear that they will no longer accept low pay, with the drivers currently only earning £12.40 an hour for a highly skilled and responsible role.
First Manchester’s depot is in Oldham but it operates services throughout Greater Manchester. The strike will result in disruption to bus services throughout the entire city region.
If no resolution is reached in the dispute, further strikes are scheduled for 18, 20, 24, 26 January.
Unite regional officer Dave Roberts said: “Our members are taking strike action as a last resort. Despite numerous meetings, First Manchester’s management has either failed to understand or ignored our members’ aspirations.
“The ball is now firmly in First Manchester’s court. Unite remains available for further negotiations in order to resolve this dispute but the company needs to be willing to bring forward an improved offer.
Ian Humphreys, Managing Director of First Manchester, said: “I would like to apologise sincerely to all our customers for the disruption and inconvenience this will cause.
“We have been holding extensive talks with union representatives over the last few days and made every attempt to avoid industrial action, especially given the short notice this creates for our customers to make alternative travel arrangements.”
First Manchester is continuing discussions with Unite representatives to resolve the dispute and prevent any further industrial action, which the union has notified is planned for later in January.
