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Bus drivers are threatening a series of nationwide strikes in disputes over pay and conditions.
Around 7,500 members of Unite the Union are either striking or balloting to take industrial action in areas including Birkenhead, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Chorley, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Preston, Stoke and Swindon.
Strikes involving 2,000 London United workers in West London, 550 First workers in Bristol, 450 Cardiff Bus workers and 70 Go South West workers in Swindon have already been announced, with further strikes involving thousands more bus workers planned at other towns and cities in the coming weeks.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said bus employers everywhere “need to get the message loud and clear: driver pay simply does not reflect the stresses and strains of the job”.
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Unite boss Sharon Graham(PA)
“Fatigue, a lack of toilets, abuse and even assaults are a daily occurrence,” she said.
“Unite will fight tooth and nail for bus workers until wages and conditions improve across the sector.”
Unite has previously reported that bus drivers face abuse at work, with workers reporting that the number of incidents is increasing.
The union is also campaigning for improvements to rest breaks, toilet facilities and shift patterns to reduce fatigue.
Bus drivers are more likely to suffer mental and physical ill health than other professions due to the stressful nature of the job, according to the union.
Unite said strikes in Cardiff and Newcastle involving 600 bus workers will go ahead if deals being balloted on are rejected.
Unite has had 167 bus disputes since 2023 involving 42,626 workers.