Stagecoach call planned strike action in Worksop ‘shameless attack on bus passengers’

Stagecoach East Midlands have criticised the RMT union for a “shameless attack on bus passengers” after informing the company of planned strike action over pay.

The strikes come less than a year after previous industrial action was announced.

However the strike was suspended after union members accepted a pay offer from Stagecoach.

Employees at the company's Worksop depot, in Hardy Street, and Mansfield, which employ a total of 320 drivers and engineers, have been offered a two-year deal which would give them a 13.2 per cent pay increase, with 9.7 per cent uplift in the first 12 months.

It is the third pay offer the company has put to the RMT, but Stagecoach allege the union has ‘refused to allow’ its members to vote on any of the offers.

Instead, the union has informed Stagecoach that its members plan to take strike action on July 26, August 2, August 9 and August 16.

Matt Cranwell, managing director of Stagecoach East Midlands, said: "The RMT's planned strike action is a shameless attack on bus passengers, which will disrupt people trying to get to work and access vital public services, as well as damaging local businesses.

“The fact is that even in these difficult times, we have offered a substantial pay increase which would give our people a rise of close to 10 per cent within 12 months, with further rises the next year.

“They would also continue to benefit from good holiday entitlement, pension and other benefits.

“We have now made three separate offers to the union, none of which have been put to a democratic vote by RMT members.

“Local people will be questioning why their vital bus services are being needlessly disrupted when employees have been denied a voice on our proposals.

“We are absolutely committed to securing the best deal possible for our people, while also protecting the future sustainability of the bus network.

“We remain open for talks, which is the only route to reaching agreement and securing improved pay for our people.

"We would urge the union to return to talks so we can deliver a deal that is in the best interests of everyone without damaging disruption to our local communities.”

The Guardian has approached RMT for comment.