Bus drivers to strike over pay offer

Arriva bus drivers in Yorkshire are to take indefinite strike action over a pay offer dispute.

Arriva Yorkshire said Unite union members were expected to strike from 2am on Monday 6 June “for an undisclosed period of time”. The company has responded that the action is “unjustified”.

But Unite argued that an offer of a 4.1% pay increase to its 650 members was “pitiful” and well below the current inflation rate. The union said 96% of Arriva staff had voted to support industrial action, with balloted workers including bus drivers and engineers.

Unite regional officer Phil Bown said: “Strike action will inevitably cause significant disruption and delays for the Yorkshire travelling public but this dispute is entirely of Arriva’s own making.

“Our members are already suffering from poverty pay and the company is trying to make the situation even worse.”

The bus company said it would be unable to run services across Wakefield, Dewsbury, Castleford, Pontefract, Heckmondwike, Cleckheaton, Bradford, Leeds, Ossett, Batley, Morley, Rothwell, South Elmsall, Hemsworth, Huddersfield, Halifax, Doncaster, Selby, York and Goole.

It added that Arriva North East bus services, which operate into North Yorkshire, were not affected.

A spokeswoman for Arriva UK Bus told the BBC that the company was “deeply disappointed” a deal could not be agreed.

She added: “Such unjustified strike action will have an extremely negative impact on communities across the region, particularly at this crucial time of year for students undertaking GCSE exams.

“We put forward an improved and generous pay offer, which we were led to believe met Unite’s ambitions. Yet we now find the goal posts have been moved with demands for further increases.”