First bus drivers set to strike in pay row

First drivers will take industrial action across two periods in February and March

Bus drivers in Huddersfield are set to go on strike in a dispute over pay.

Around 170 drivers employed by First Bus will take industrial action from 3 to 16 February and from 24 February to 9 March, the Unite union said.

The union has claimed drivers in the town are underpaid compared with their peers across other parts of West Yorkshire.

First said its 15.5% increase was "generous" and industrial action would be "damaging to everyone and cause severe disruption to the daily lives of our customers".

Unite said Huddersfield drivers had rejected a pay deal from First that would have left their terms "lagging behind" their colleagues elsewhere over the next two years.

The proposed pay rise, which would have taken their hourly rate to £15.43 from April, was rejected, according to the union.

But wages for First's drivers in other parts of the region had already crossed the £15 threshold in mid-2024, Unite said.

'Huge pay disparity'

Regional officer Darren Rushworth said: "First has no one else to blame for the disruption that will be caused to Huddersfield's bus services but itself.

"It could end this dispute tomorrow by putting forward a pay deal that properly addresses the huge pay disparity these workers are suffering."

First Bus North & West Yorkshire operations director Megan Hope said: "The generous pay offer we made to the union of a 15.5% increase is six times above current inflation and will help our drivers to manage the cost of living.

"Industrial action will be damaging to everyone and cause severe disruption to the daily lives of our customers who rely on the bus to get to work, education and for appointments.

"We will operate limited bus services, including school trips, to support our customers as best we can. Full details will be available on our website and through social media.

"We urge Unite to advise its members to accept the generous deal that is on offer and avoid industrial action."

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