Bus drivers balloted on strike

UNION WANTS ‘PAY PARITY WITH REST OF COUNTRY’

- ANDY PHILLIPS

BUS drivers in Plymouth are being balloted on whether they should take strike action over a discrepancy in pay compared to other areas of the country.

Almost 600 Plymouth bus drivers, who work for Citybus and Go Cornwall, are being balloted for strike action by their trade union, Unite.

Workers are demanding their wages be brought in line with their colleagues in other parts of the country, with parent firm Go Ahead said to be paying higher wages elsewhere for the same job.

However, the bus operators Go South West say drivers are in effect asking for an 18.9% pay rise, despite getting a rise of 11.8% last year, and that is it not financially viable.

Go Ahead is the company behind Plymouth Citybus and the Go Cornwall bus, but also run thousands of other routes across the country.

Plymouth drivers say they are paid less per hour than other areas including Oxford, where drivers earn £2.84 per hour more, and Brighton, where drivers get £1.83 per hour more.