Three additional strike dates at Manchester’s Bee Network have been announced by Unite, the union representing workers in passenger transport. Over 2,000 workers involved in the dispute are employed by Stagecoach, Metroline Manchester and First Bus Rochdale – firms which are among those that make up the bus section of the integrated Bee Network.
Workers have voted to take additional strike action from 30 September to 2 October on top of walk outs starting this week, after Stagecoach, Metroline and First failed to come back to negotiations with an improved pay offer deemed acceptable to Unite members.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:
“These companies are very profitable but are putting greed over their hardworking members of staff. Further strike action will be extremely disruptive however this is a dispute entirely of the bus companies’ making and they could solve it easily by coming back with a better deal. Our members involved in the dispute have Unite’s complete support.”
Unite members at the companies do not believe the current pay rises reflect the difficult and skilled jobs they do and fails to address years of low pay, while workers at First Bus Rochdale are the worst paid in the region. Yet Stagecoach, Metroline and First Bus Rochdale (part of First Group PLC(), are all firms which have seen a rise in profits in recent years.
The first series of strikes by Unite members at the firms will take place this Friday until Monday. Given the number of drivers and companies involved, around two-thirds of Bee Network buses will not run at all, including some school services.
Industrial action is also expected to impact several events on in the city this weekend, including Manchester United v Chelsea at Old Trafford, comedian Peter Kay’s gig at the AO Arena and singer Tom Grennan’s concert at Coop Live. Strikes will also clash with students moving to the city ahead of freshers’ week.
Unite regional officer Colin Hayden said:
“The strikes this week as well as the further action we have called will cause travel chaos in Greater Manchester.
“However, it is entirely the fault of the employers involved, who have failed to address the issue of low pay and reward their staff accordingly.
“Unite is not afraid to escalate to more strikes, which will only intensify going forward. It is time for the employers to make an offer that is acceptable to our members to resolve this disruption.”
(Pic: TfGM)
