Bus drivers' strike could affect Cheltenham Festival, union warns

The festival can attract up to 70,000 fans per day

A month-long strike by bus drivers over pay will hit racegoers travelling to the Cheltenham Festival, a union has warned.

Unite members employed by Stagecoach West will begin industrial action five days before the event, which takes place from 15 to 18 March.

The union wants a pay increase in line with the current RPI inflation rate of 7.8 per cent.

Stagecoach West said Unite should "work constructively" to find a solution.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said Stagecoach had so far "failed" to make a fair offer.

She said: "Our members at Stagecoach West have made it very clear that they will accept nothing less than a significant pay rise and they have Unite's full support in this fight."

Unite said the strike action, due to launch from 10 March, will affect services operating from the Bristol, Cheltenham, Coalway, Gloucester, Stroud, and Swindon depots, and was likely to involve hundreds of drivers.

'Last resort'

Unite regional officer Shevaun Hunt said: "Our members are taking strike action as a last resort because Stagecoach has refused to listen.

"Industrial action will inevitably cause severe disruption to passengers throughout Gloucestershire and Wiltshire and especially during the Cheltenham Festival."

The union said there was a growing shortage of bus drivers throughout the UK, with low pay identified as the main reason for workers leave the profession.

In a statement, Stagecoach West said: ""Around 40 per cent of bus drivers in these areas are not members of Unite and have not voted for strike action.

"In recent negotiations, Unite has been demanding pay increases of up to 22%, which would put the viability of many community bus routes at risk at the very time they are already under strain.

"We are committed to giving our people affordable pay rises, on top of the increases we have given over the past two years during the difficult period of the pandemic."

Further talks with Unite are expected in the next week, it added.