New Year's Eve among dates for tram driver strikes

Journeys throughout the holiday season will be affected by strike action

Tram drivers who are part of a union have announced plans to strike on key dates throughout the upcoming festive period, including on New Year's Eve.

About 320 tram drivers working for KeolisAmey Metrolink Ltd say they will walk out on 19, 20 and 31 December over concerns about driver fatigue and safety - in addition to strikes planned for this weekend.

Unite union general secretary Sharon Graham said driver fatigue was a "serious problem" and called on management to address staff concerns.

Transport for Greater Manchester said it would do all it could to avoid disruption and was working to "explore the rosters" to come up with "practical solutions".

The strikes are set to impact key sport and entertainment events across the city, as well as travel to and from New Year's Eve events - including the St Peter's Square fireworks, which attract about 20,000 spectators a year.

And two of the strike dates, 19 and 20 December, will coincide with industrial action by 200 Unite members working for Transport for Greater Manchester on the Bee bus network.

But Unite union, who are representing the Metrolink staff, say tram drivers have been left with no choice but to walk out, citing the danger of over-worked drivers due to a "50-hour work pattern".

'Off sick with stress'

"Fatigue isn't just tiredness, my colleagues are tired but the fatigue is also giving them cold-like symptoms and many have been going off sick with stress, which adds to problems with staffing levels," one driver said.

"Drivers are saying it is not a question of 'if' an accident will occur, but 'when'.

"At the moment, we have the Christmas markets on in Manchester which means there's a lot more pedestrians around and we also drive alongside road traffic as well.

"You need to be constantly on the ball when driving a tram and being fatigued lessens the chance of being able to do that."

Another driver said: "I end up using my annual leave to try and create my own rest day pattern as the six in a row is just not good for me, meaning I don't get any long breaks away from work.

"This usually ends up with me feeling physically and mentally run down."

Transport for Greater Manchester chief network officer, Danny Vaughan, said: "This negotiation is about working patterns, not pay.

"Since we were informed of the outcome of the tram drivers' ballot, we've been working directly with drivers, Unite and the operator Keolis Amey Metrolink to explore the rosters in detail and come up with practical solutions that address the union's concerns.

"We've been doing this constructively to try and avoid strikes and will continue to do so."