Last ditch talks to avert strike action by Arriva Cymru Bus Drivers in North Wales have ended without a deal, according to the Unite Union.

 

Discussions regarding improved pay rates for Arriva bus drivers had entered a second day on Wednesday in an attempt to prevent the planned strike, which is set to start this weekend.

Union officials said that following the failure of Arriva Cymru to make any significant improvement in their pay offer to workers, five weeks of strike action by drivers will now proceed from Sunday.

They said workers were offered a 29p an hour increase whilst Arriva workers over the border in the North West of England have been offered 39p.

In addition to this the current pay differential between Welsh and North West Arriva drivers is £1.81 an hour, they said.

Bus services across North Wales will now face severe disruption in a five week strike starting on Sunday.

Four hundred Unite members working at depots, including Amlwch, Bangor, Hawarden (Chester), Llandudno, Rhyl and Wrexham, will strike continuously from 6am on Sunday 14 November 2021 until 1am on Sunday 19 December.

Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said: “Arriva Cymru have chosen not to offer their loyal Welsh workforce the pay offer they deserve.

“Their failure to tackle poverty pay will now result in severe disruption to bus services and the people of North Wales.

“Our members are united and they will receive the full backing of Unite over the next five weeks of strike action.”

Jo Goodchild, Unite Regional Office, said: “Arriva Cymru have completely misjudged the level of anger there is amongst its workforce.

“Welsh workers are not willing to accept inferior terms and conditions to their colleagues in other parts of the UK.

“The company have wasted the opportunity to see sense and offer Welsh workers a deal comparable to its operations in the rest of the UK that begins to tackle poverty pay rates.

“Our members resolve is very strong and we expect this strike to be rock solid, Arriva must recognise that they are in for a long fight.

“The blame for the huge disruption this strike will cause lies firmly and squarely at the door of Arriva Cymru.”

An Arriva UK Bus spokesperson said: “While we understand concerns about recent increases to the cost of living, we believe the offer we put forward is fair and highly competitive.

“Arriva is very committed to continued dialogue and has already been involved in extensive discussions with our trade union partners. We had very much hoped to reach an agreement.

“Public transport remains under enormous pressure following the effects of the pandemic and it’s vital that we work together to build a recovery, while also providing continuity of services for local communities.”

Gwynedd Council issued a statement earlier this evening in which they said they were “monitoring the possible industrial action by Arriva drivers that could impact upon some bus journeys in Gwynedd.”

The statement continued: “As a Council, we have made arrangements to ensure that replacement services are in place for any services provided for college students by Arriva. The company do not operate any statutory school transport for the Council.

“We sympathise with passengers that bus services provided by Arriva in the county will be impacted due to the possible driver strike.”

Arriva operates the following bus services in Gwynedd:

  • 5/X5/5C/5D Caernarfon – Bangor – Llandudno.
  • 67/67C/67L/X67/67S Bethesda – Tregarth – Bangor (67 still operating on Sunday by Dilwyn’s Coaches.)
  • 78 Bangor – Maesgeirchen.
  • A55 – Bangor – Colwyn Bay.

A statement from Anglesey Council on Tuesday said: “We have been advised by the operator (Arriva Cymru) that it has received notice of industrial action which will be at 0600 Sunday November 14th until December 19th 2021.

“Industrial action, if it goes ahead, would impact a number of key bus route on the Island and cause disruption for many users, including college students and those reliant on these services to get to and from work.

“Given the potential number of bus services, which could be affected, the County Council is, unfortunately, not in a position to provide alternative services.

“We have informed Coleg Menai of the risk to the usual arrangements and would urge those who use these services to make alternative travel provision for the weeks ahead.”

The following bus services are currently operated by Arriva between Bangor and on Anglesey:

  • all service 4 journeys (seven days a week) – this is the route between Bangor and Holyhead,
  • three service 24 journeys (six days a week) – this is the local service around Holyhead,
  • all service 58 journeys (seven days a week) – this is the route between Bangor and Beaumaris
  • all service 62 journeys (seven days a week) – this is the route between Bangor and Amlwch.
  • Arriva Cymru also operates five service buses to Coleg Menai on behalf of the Authority.