Bus services in Newcastle upon Tyne could be seriously impacted as almost 500 bus workers including drivers are being balloted on taking strike action.

The Unite members work for Busways Travel Services, part of the Stagecoach North East group, at two major depots in the city - Slatyford and Walkergate. The majority of passenger bus services to and from Newcastle city centre operate from these depots meaning any strike will be extremely disruptive.

While no formal pay offer has been made by Stagecoach to Unite members, shop stewards have been unofficially offered a below inflation 3.3% pay rise providing they recommended that members accepted. This is substantially less than Unite is seeking for its members at Stagecoach.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Stagecoach is a very profitable company and they can clearly afford to put some of these profits back into the pockets of our hardworking members.

"Strikes would no doubt have a major impact on bus services - but it will be Stagecoach's fault for choosing to prioritise profits over people. Unite will stand by our members every step of the way throughout this dispute."

In a recent consultative ballot, 98 per cent of Unite members at the depots stated that they would be willing to strike over pay. The strike ballot closes on July 15 and if it is successful strikes would take place between August and January.

Figures from last year showed Stagecoach recorded a total operating profit of £51.1m, up from £33.1m, and a profit before taxation of £47.6m.

Unite regional officer Dave Telford said: “Bus drivers do an incredibly skilled role and put up with an awful lot in their jobs, from long, unsociable shifts to dealing with disorderly passengers, but pay doesn’t reflect that.

“If strike action goes ahead, this will have a huge impact on services in Newcastle and its surrounding areas. While this will be disruptive for the general public, it is entirely the fault of Stagecoach. Unite is urging it to come back to the table with an improved pay offer to avoid this large-scale disruption.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

For media enquiries ONLY please contact Unite press officer Natasha Wynarczyk on 07970081524

Email: natasha.wynarczyk@unitetheunion.org