Arriva drivers in Whitby set to go on strike again as dispute over pay rumbles on

Arriva drivers across the North East will strike again next week

Arriva drivers in Whitby will go on strike for ten days at the end of this month, with a dispute over their pay still rumbling on.

Unite is to hold talks with Arriva Durham County Ltd on Thursday (17 January) in a bid to resolve the long-running pay dispute.

But at the same time, the union announced a further ten days of strike action by its 650 bus drivers from 00:01 on 27 January until 23:59 on 5 February.

The bus drivers, based at Darlington, Durham, Redcar, Stockton and Whitby, striked for a week in the pay dispute. The strike ended at 23.59 on Saturday (12 January).

Unite regional officer Bob Bolam said: “We are due to hold talks with the Arriva management on Thursday in a bid to settle this dispute.

“We will be entering into these talks in a constructive and positive frame of mind. We won’t be commenting further until those negotiations have concluded.

“However, I would like to say we have had excellent solidarity from our members during this week’s strike and they were especially heartened by the support shown by their local communities.”

The bus drivers rejected a revised pay package before Christmas which included 75p on the hourly rate over two years in four instalments. The drivers are seeking an increase £1 per hour on the rates for the year starting March 2018.