Bradford bus drivers to strike

More than 300 bus drivers employed by First West Yorkshire in Bradford are ready to announce strike dates, unless the bosses up their ‘truly pathetic’ two-year pay deal, Unite the union warned today (February 4).

Unite said that strike dates could be announced soon after the workers voted for strike action by 77 per cent, following their rejection of a pay offer of 1.9 per cent from October 2021 and a further 1.8 per cent for the year from October 2022.

A new round of talks with the company are due to take place on Wednesday, February 16.

The union said the pay offer was ‘out of touch with reality’, given the cost-of-living crisis which was further underlined by the £693 hike in average household energy bills from April.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “The offer to our members by the bosses at First West Yorkshire is truly pathetic given the looming scale of the cost-of-living crisis which will be a catastrophe for millions of working people.

“We will be standing 100 per cent behind our members in Bradford in their fight for pay justice – the management is out of touch with reality,” she added. “They need to come forward with a decent pay offer that reflects the stressful work that our members do on a daily basis.”

Unite regional officer Darren Rushworth said, “Talks are due to be held with the company on 16 February. We will enter into those talks in a constructive frame of mind. However, strike action remains very much on the cards if no progress is made.”

Unite is dedicated to advancing the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and will fight back against any efforts to diminish workers’ living standards.

Ryan Fletcher