West Midlands Metro to be hit by second day of strike action

The Unite union has planned 53 days of strike action for the West Midlands Metro tram network

Trams in the West Midlands are expected to face disruption on Tuesday as drivers strike in a dispute over pay.

It is the second of 53 days of strikes organised by trade union Unite leading up to the new year.

West Midlands Metro will run a reduced timetable and said it hoped for "an amicable agreement" after making what it believed to be a "fair" pay offer.

Unite said the drivers' current pay of £21,939 was one of the lowest in the UK for equivalent roles.

West Midlands Metro, which runs services between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, said it expected trams to operate between the two cities every 15 minutes between 08:30 BST and 17:00. It usually operates a service every six to eight minutes.

It also intends to run a 15-minute service between Wolverhampton and Bull Street, between 07:30 and 18:00.

It advised passengers to allow extra time for their journeys and avoid the busiest times of day if possible.

Unite, which represents more than 174 workers on the network, has asked for their pay to be increased to a minimum of £27,000.

West Midlands Metro has offered £25,250, an increase of more than 15%, and also said it would increase the pay of tram crew in their first year.

It said it was "disappointed" the union had not accepted the offer to continue discussions through the conciliation service ACAS.