Bus driver strike threat over suspended workers

Bus drivers could go on strike after colleagues were threatened with dismissal while raising concerns over alleged safety issues, a union has said.

Staff at Go North East (GNE) had continued to be "pressured" into driving "defective" vehicles which were putting passengers "at risk", Unite claimed.

It claimed several drivers were suspended and two had since resigned after raising concerns over recent weeks.

GNE said it was "committed to ensuring the highest safety standards at all times", and it had "resolved" the issue among its suspended drivers.

In 2023, about 1,300 drivers from all six of GNE's depots staged a strike, which lasted seven weeks over pay and conditions.

Unite claimed a driver was facing dismissal after refusing to drive a double-decker vehicle on "passenger safety" grounds because CCTV on its upper deck was not working.

Meanwhile, it said seven drivers had been suspended after refusing to sign a safety letter issued by the operator over concerns about its wording and because it had not been seen by union officials.

The union alleged six of those had since been given final written warnings, but two had "felt no other option" but to resign.

It follows whistleblower claims to the BBC that faulty buses were being rushed back into service and low pay meant it was unable to recruit enough engineers to repair them, which was contributing to widespread delays and cancellations.

Drivers have contacted the BBC claiming they were told they would be "sent home" if they did not sign the letter, which they believed could be used to "place blame" on them if a vehicle became unsafe and was involved in an accident.

One of the letters, seen by the BBC, said drivers should park their vehicle if a red warning light appeared, report it and remain stopped until advice was provided.

However, workers claimed these procedures were not always being followed by management and drivers were often asked to continue, as the BBC previously reported.

"We have refused to drive buses with red lights and basically they have overridden us and said just drive it," one driver said.

"It [the letter] has put the onus [safety related issues/defects with buses] on to the drivers."

Another driver claimed they and colleagues were made to feel "extremely uncomfortable" and were told to sign the letter "on the spot", despite asking to consult the union over its wording, and raising concern safety procedures were not being followed.

"It was non-negotiable, it made me feel intimidated and bullied," they said.

The driver added correspondence relating to safety had "always been previously agreed with the union", before being issued to staff.

Dave Telford, regional officer at Unite the Union, said: "Once again, communities are being betrayed by Go North East.

"Our members live and work in this area and the working conditions they now face are so unreasonable they are considering strike action.

"Passengers are being put in danger by this approach to safety."

He added it was a "dispute of Go North East's own making", which they described as "petty revenge" for the strike of 2023.

Union officials said they were demanding no driver would be "pressured" or subject to disciplinary action for refusing to drive unsafe or defective vehicles.

They said they wanted assurances double-decker vehicles with defective CCTV on the upper level were repaired.

They also said they wanted GNE to create an "open and transparent" mechanism to let drivers raise safety concerns without fear of dismissal.

An indicative ballot, issued to drivers last week, revealed the overwhelming majority of staff would be in favour of industrial action.

Nigel Featham, managing director at GNE, said: "[We are] committed to ensuring the highest safety standards at all times.

"Recently, we introduced safety briefings for drivers to reinforce best practices, for example to ensure that double-deck buses are not driven on routes with low bridges in case it leads to bridge strikes.

"Safety standards of this nature are essential for protecting our passengers."

He added that "over 99%" of drivers had supported the briefings but a "very small number - seven out of 1,300" initially declined to sign up to the "safety standards or provide assurances that they would adhere to these safe ways of working".

"In accordance with our established procedures, these drivers were temporarily suspended. However, the issue was resolved, and the suspensions lifted," he said.

Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].