Go North East seeks Acas help to stop bus driver strike

A bus company will call in conciliation service Acas in a bid to prevent 1,300 drivers from taking industrial action.

Go North East workers at all six depots in Sunderland, Washington, Gateshead, Hexham, Consett and Percy Main have voted for strike action.

Unite said workers' conditions were being eroded and a pay offer amounted to a "real-terms pay cut".

The firm said strikes, dates of which are yet to be announced, were not in the "interests" of staff or passengers.

The firm has proposed to standardise some union-negotiated conditions across all depots and lock in a two-year deal.

Drivers have been offered a 9.11% increase in the first year, followed by the rate of inflation next year.

But workers said the company was trying to reduce paid meal breaks and lengthen shifts, which meant they were "funding their own pay rise".

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) was created to help improve employee relations between employers and their workers.

Acas can act as an arbitrator in disputes, such as the Go North East strikes, and come to an independent resolution which all parties can decide to agree with.

Business director Ben Maxfield said drivers had been offered an "exceptional" deal, despite the company making losses.

He said that it would seek Acas-brokered talks with the union to break a deadlock.

"It's not in our interests, or our passengers' interests, to have a strike," he said.

"Unfortunately, it appears some elements within Unite are hell-bent on this course of action, but we believe most of our drivers will want to see successful Acas negotiations."

Union general secretary Sharon Graham has warned of severe disruption across north-east England when drivers walk out, and has rubbished the company's claims that it cannot afford a revised offer.

"Unite will be backing our members to the hilt during their industrial action and their campaign for better pay and conditions," she said.

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