School buses keep rolling after drivers' strike is called off

Published on Wednesday 29 October 2008 21:10

A PLANNED strike which would have left thousands of pupils in the Highlands and north-east of Scotland without school buses today was suspended last night.

Stagecoach Bluebird staff had voted to take industrial action from 4am this morning, followed by four other 24-hour stoppages in November, due to a pay dispute.

About 480 drivers, mechanics, cleaners and office staff, who are members of the T&G section of the Unite union, were expected to be involved in the action.

But the union announced about 5pm last night it was suspending action today and next Wednesday to hold a postal ballot among staff following last-minute talks with the company.

An overtime ban and work to rule is also suspended for ten days.

Tommy Campbell, the union's regional industrial organiser, said: "After contact with the company we are this afternoon suspending the action to allow a post ballot on two offers."

Staff involved are based at bus depots in Aberdeen, Stonehaven, Banchory, Ballater, Insch, Alford, Fraserburgh, Peterhead, Elgin, Macduff, Inverness and Tain.

The company, which made a revised pay offer last week to try to avoid a strike, had arranged to draft in 160 staff from across the UK to try to keep services going.

Aberdeenshire Council said the action would have affected 125 school transport contracts, involving more than 4,000 pupils at 46 schools. Another 100 contracts covering services in Aberdeenshire that are subsidised by the council were also due to be hit.

A council spokesman said all school transport services and local services will now run normally.

In the Highlands, 18 schools would have been affected in Ross-shire, Inverness and Nairn but all will now operate.

Bluebird is part of the Stagecoach group which employs about 18,000 people and runs a fleet of 7,000 buses.

The further one-day strikes will take place on 11, 21 and 24 November.

The company says the recent proposal offered staff a 9.76 per cent pay increase. This would see drivers receiving 9 an hour until March 2010. Drivers working 39 hours a week would see wages rising from 16,629 to 18,252 before bonuses or overtime. It had accused a minority of the company's 868 employees of deliberately attempting to wreck the company's 17-year strike-free record.

Charlie Mullen, the firm's managing director, said before the action was suspended: "We have put together an exceptional deal for our employees. People will be asking why the union is dragging its members out on strike."