Zarah ChoudharyAround 170 Huddersfield-based bus drivers employed by First West Yorkshire will strike in February and March, voicing irritation at allegedly having waited 10 months to achieve pay parity with fellow employees.
The drivers rejected a pay deal from First West Yorkshire that would see pay rise to £15.43 an hour from April 2025, following incremental pay rises during 2024.
Unite argued that wages for the firm’s drivers in other parts of West Yorkshire reached over £15 an hour in mid-2024, as did wages for drivers at competitor bus companies operating in Huddersfield.
The rejected offer also ties the workers into a pay agreement beginning in April 2024 and ending in October 2026, which will once again result in their wages lagging behind that of their colleagues.
Sharon Graham, general secretary at Unite said: “First is a hugely profitable company.
“Yet it thinks it’s OK to significantly underpay these drivers for nearly a year while also tying them into an overlong agreement that will result in wages rates sliding again. This is totally unacceptable.
“Unite will not flinch in its support of our First West Yorkshire Huddersfield members as they strike for a fair pay deal.”
The workers will strike from 3rd to 16th February and from 24th February to 9th March, with plans for industrial action to intensify if the dispute is not resolved.
Darren Rushworth, regional officer at Unite said: “First has no one else to blame for the disruption that will be caused to Huddersfield’s bus services but itself.
“It could end this dispute tomorrow by putting forward a pay deal that properly addresses the huge pay disparity these workers are suffering.”
Megan Hope, operations director of First Bus North and West Yorkshire, said: “The generous pay offer we made to the union of a 15.5% increase is six times above current inflation and will help our drivers to manage the cost of living.
“Industrial action will be damaging to everyone and cause severe disruption to the daily lives of our customers who rely on the bus to get to work, education and for appointments.
“We will operate limited bus services, including school trips, to support our customers as best we can. Full details will be available on our website and through social media.
“We urge Unite to advise its members to accept the generous deal that is on offer and avoid industrial action.”
