City bus drivers striking over Christmas in pay row

Hundreds of bus drivers and engineers in Cambridge are set to strike over the Christmas period, a union said.

Unite said that 200 Stagecoach employees in Cambridge rejected a pay deal that would see their overtime rates fall by 12% between Monday and Friday and by 20% on weekends and bank holidays.

It added that the workers will strike on 17, 20, 22, 24 and 27 December.

Stagecoach East managing director Darren Roe said: "We are disappointed that our offer of a pay increase has been rejected... we call on Unite to review their pay request and meet with us to reach a resolution to avoid industrial action."

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Stagecoach is a profitable company and can absolutely afford to offer a pay deal that does not reduce overtime rates.

"Stagecoach's Cambridge workforce has Unite's full support in taking strike action to achieve that."

The union said Stagecoach made operating profits of £97.3m in the year to April 2024 on sales of £1.6bn.

It added that industrial action could still be avoided, "but that will require an acceptable offer from the company".

Mr Roe said: "We have met with the trade union representatives and were prepared to offer an increase of 5.7% this year (which is above the rate of inflation) and 3% in year two. This award was achieved through negotiation, with the increase part-funded through overtime rate reductions.

"Not only are Cambridge drivers the highest paid in the region compared with other operators in the area, with average earnings of £45,273, they have been awarded pay rises that were well above inflation in previous years.

"This strike action will cause unnecessary disruption across our Cambridge-based communities, and we urge the trade union members and Unite the Union to reconsider their position."

Speaking to BBC Radio Cambridgeshire on Monday, MP Simon Lightwood, the minister for roads and buses, said: "Obviously nobody wants to see industrial action. It's bad for business, it's bad for the drivers, it's bad for passengers.

"So, I would encourage Stagecoach to get around the table with Unite and to move past this as quickly as possible in the interest of passengers."

Mr Roe added: "We will do everything possible to minimise the impact of the planned industrial action, but there will be a reduced bus service across Cambridge on Wednesday 17 December, Saturday 20 December, Monday 22 December, Wednesday 24 December and Saturday 27 December.

"All other services on the Busway [and in the] Peterborough and Bedford regions will continue to operate as normal."

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