Arriva North West bus driver strike goes on as new pay offer rejected

Arriva North West bus drivers have been on strike since 20 July

Bus drivers across an entire region will remain on strike after a fresh pay offer was rejected.

Staff at Arriva North West (ANW) have downed tools for nearly four weeks after staging an indefinite walk-out on 20 July.

More than three-quarters of drivers voted to reject the latest pay offer, the GMB Union said.

A spokesman for Arriva said it was "incredibly disappointed" by the outcome.

The rejection is the latest set-back after negotiations between managers and GMB and Unite unions have repeatedly collapsed.

This has led to the majority of bus services in Lancashire, Merseyside, Cheshire and Greater Manchester being cancelled.

The GMB Union said ANW had put forward an improved offer of 9.6%, an increase from the previous offer of 8.5%.

• Bus drivers set to vote on improved pay offer

• Political leaders urge bus firm to end strike

• Pay offer leaves no choice but to strike - union

Regional organiser George Patterson said union members were offered £14.80 an hour but they wanted £15 across the board.

He said: "Bus drivers need to know that they'll be able to cover their bills.

"Working people are facing the worst cost of living crisis for a generation.

"These drivers are fighting for a fair pay rise to help them through it."

He said: "We need something better from Arriva. We won't stop fighting for our members to get the decent pay they deserve."

Financial implications

An Arriva spokesman said following the vote, it had agreed "to meet the union's pay demand in an attempt to end this strike action".

"The unions responded by significantly increasing their pay demand for the second time in this process. This brings into question their intentions," he added.

"The unions are fully aware of the financial implications we face and the implications for our customers and local bus networks across the North West."

"We will continue to do all we can to resolve this dispute as quickly as possible."

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