Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Three weeks of chaos on buses as drivers set to strike over pay
Passengers warned of disruption as Stagecoach staff prepare to walk out
Bus services across the Canterbury district are expected to be thrown into chaos this month as drivers strike over pay.
More than 250 Unite members based at Stagecoach’s depot in Herne Bay - as well as colleagues in Folkestone and Hastings have voted “overwhelmingly” to stage the walkouts over the next three weeks, union bosses have announced.
Services across Canterbury, Whitstable, Herne Bay, Faversham and Sittingbourne will be affected if staff from the Herne Bay depot take strike action.
And if staff at Folkestone walk out, buses between Folkestone and Canterbury, Folkestone and Ashford and the coastal service through Dover, Folkestone, New Romney, Lydd and Rye could face disruption.
Stagecoach has pledged to keep customers updated on its website and Twitter feed.
The bus firm says it will also work closely with Kent County Council if critical bus services, including school transport, are cancelled.
A spokesman for Unite says the bus operator has failed “to make a realistic pay offer” to drivers - whose salaries vary between £11.10 and £11.67 per hour - after demanding the company gives its staff an increase in wages for 2021.
But bosses from the bus firm say there is “no reason why an agreement cannot be reached”, adding that “strike action is in nobody’s interests”.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Low pay is the scourge of the bus industry right across this country.
“Stagecoach made profits touching £60m last year and has £875m in the bank.
“Yet it cannot make a decent offer to its staff.
“Unite will be relentless in its campaign to ensure that our members at Stagecoach receive a fair pay increase.”
Unite says the strikes will take place on November 12, 15, 19, 22 and 26, before two more days of walkouts on December 3 and 6.
The decision came after members rejected Stagecoach’s latest round of offers, ranging from pay increases of 2.1% to 4.3%, following negotiations with union representatives.
A Stagecoach South East spokesman hopes the disruption can be avoided, with last-ditch talks planned for later this week.
“We have reached agreements with trade unions in the vast majority of other depots across the country and there is no reason why an agreement cannot be reached here,” he stated.
“We are committed to working constructively with our local union representatives to deliver pay proposals that are fair to our people, who we think a great deal of and who do a fantastic job for us.
“But we need to ensure the long-term sustainability of the bus network at a time when passenger numbers are significantly below the level needed to cover the costs of running services.”
Unite had revealed in Septem
ber that drivers based in Canterbury and Thanet could also strike over wages.
But an agreement has not yet been made and pay talks continue between the union and depots this week.
“Strike action is in nobody’s interests,” the Stagecoach spokesman added.
“We are hopeful that an agreement can be reached to avoid strike action that would cause disruption for our customers and our employees.”
The news comes as Stagecoach continues to be rocked by a shortage of drivers, with a number of services across Canterbury, Ashford and Folkestone cancelled this week due to the long-running issue.
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‘Stagecoach made profits touching £60m last year and has £875m in the bank. Yet it cannot make a decent offer to its staff’