Bus services in North Wales will face severe disruption from this weekend, as Arriva Cymru bus drivers are set to start a five week-long strike.
Nearly 400 Arriva Cymru bus drivers voted overwhelmingly last month to strike continuously from 6am on Sunday 14 November 2021 until 1am on Sunday 19 December, in a dispute over pay.
Unless a last-minute deal is reached this week, drivers at depots including Amlwch, Bangor, Hawarden (Chester), Llandudno, Rhyl and Wrexham, will walk out
Unite said the pay offer from Arriva was 1.77 per cent backdated to 1 January – well below inflation.
They said no new offers had been received since announcing the intention to strike.
Arriva said they believed the pay offer put forward is “fair and highly competitive”.
A strike threatened by Arriva drivers in the Northwest of England last month was averted after an improved offer was made to Unite members. It is understood a further meeting will take place this week between Unite and Arriva Cymru.
Unite say drivers in Wales are currently being paid less than their colleagues in England and “deserve better”.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “It is time that Arriva Cymru’s management woke up and smelled the coffee. The 95 per cent vote in favour of industrial action shows how determined our members are to fight for a better pay deal. And make no mistake, they will have the full backing of Unite during their five-week strike.
“They were local heroes in the pandemic, so surely now is the time for that dedication and hard work to be rewarded with a substantial pay rise.”
