Hundreds of bus workers at First Cymru in South Wales are set to strike from 20 November to 21 January over a pay dispute.
Unite has stated that the strike action is a result of First Cymru ‘refusing’ to pay back-pay from a pay anniversary, with a recently-offered 50 GBP payment leading to ‘increased anger and frustration’.
Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said:First Cymru is trying to take industrial relations back to the dark ages with its refusal to pay monies owed, attempts at union-busting to get staff to cross picket lines and all the while paying some of the lowest wages in the industry.
Unite never stands for such behaviour. First needs to think again about how it is treating its workforce.
Currently; First Cymru drivers are paid 13.40 GBP per hour, with Cardiff Bus and Arriva North Wales drivers earning 15 GBP per hour and Stagecoach South Wales & Newport Transport drivers earning 14.44 & 14.50 GBP per hour, respectively.
The dispute covers workers operating from depots in Swansea, Port Talbot, Bridgend, Carmarthen, Haverford West and Ammanford.
Unite Regional Officer Alan McCarthy added: :The pressures of the role are clear. Driving a bus is a highly skilled job. Yet drivers for First Cymru are treated like second class citizens and have reached the end of their tether. They are struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table for their families. Unite will be backing them every step of the way in this dispute.
The communities of South Wales have been let down by First who see fit to short-change their drivers and will now see the consequences of this as our members take to the picket line.
