Stagecoach warns of 'major disruption' for Worksop residents as bus strikes loom

The union is pushing ahead with planned strike action which the company says will cause major disruption to people in the East Midlands trying to get to work and access public services, despite almost 70 per cent of the workforce not voting for industrial action.

Employees at the company's Worksop and Mansfield depots, 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.

Further talks have taken place with RMT to try and avert the strike action, with an enhanced offer made by the company that would see pay increases linked to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), guaranteeing a maximum increase of 15% over two years if inflation remains higher, the company stated.

But the RMT is refusing to consider this or put any of these offers to a democratic employee ballot.

Four separate updated pay offers have now been put by Stagecoach East Midlands to the RMT, but the union has refused to allow its members to vote on any of these offers. Instead, it is relying on the results of an outdated ballot to push ahead with strike action, the company says.

Matt Cranwell, Managing Director of Stagecoach East Midlands, said: "We have done everything possible to try and avoid these needless strikes, which we know will cause untold disruption for our local communities.

“We remain open for further talks, however, with the RMT unwilling to even ballot its members over the new offers we have made, it’s difficult to see a way forward.

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

The RMT has been contacted for comment.