The future of the Stagecoach East Midlands network in Hull is being placed at risk by ongoing strike action by members of the Unite union, the operator has claimed.
Talks involving ACAS on Monday 17 October ended without agreement. The strike began on 7 October and is scheduled to run until 29 December. It involves over 250 drivers, cleaners, engineers and commercial assistants in Hull. Unite says that on an 87% turnout, 96% of workers balloted voted for the action.
In September when that result was announced, Unite said it was seeking an hourly pay rate for drivers of £13 and commensurate increases for other roles. After the ACAS talks broke down, Stagecoach accused the union of having “instantly” refused proposals that would have achieved that figure without putting them to a vote after “once again moving the goalposts.”
The operator says it put forward both a one-year, 12.2% deal, and a two-year package that would increase wages by 16.7%, “meeting Unite’s aspirations to take hourly pay to £13 by May 2023.” Acceptance would make Stagecoach drivers in Hull the highest paid in the region, it claims.
Stagecoach East Midlands Managing Director Matt Cranwell has criticised Unite’s refusal to put either offer to a vote, although he adds that the union “is unprepared to move at all.” The two offers will remain in place until Friday 21 October.
The ongoing action “is now risking the future of Hull’s bus network,” Mr Cranwell says. He previously noted that any pay deal “must be sustainable for our business to ensure the long-term viability of jobs, services and depots.” Stagecoach East Midlands continues to operate a reduced strike timetable on its Hull network while the action is underway.
Unite claims that the drivers that form part of the action have seen their pay increase by 1% in three years and that they currently earn £11.14 per hour. It has pointed to the £14 per hour paid by the group to drivers on Merseyside. General Secretary Sharon Graham earlier said that Stagecoach is “awash with cash.”
Meanwhile, planned industrial action on 19-21 October by Unite members employed by Arriva Kent has been suspended after the two parties reached agreement on a pay offer. It will now be balloted upon.
