New Nottingham strike action in ongoing pay dispute

Tram workers and bosses have clashed over pay

Tram drivers in Nottingham are to go on strike for a second time this year.

Members of the GMB trade union stopped work on 6 November, bringing services around the city to a standstill.

The union says another 24-hour strike will take place on 23 November, claiming it could have been avoided "if company top brass had reached out with a fair pay offer".

Nottingham Express Transit (NET) said it was "disappointed" by the latest industrial action.

'Extensive Covid measures'

NET said it had met with GMB representatives following Saturday's strike, and offered a 3% increase for 2020 wages to be paid immediately and a further 3% increase for 2021 backdated to 6 June.

A spokesman said the company "will continue to engage with the union", and apologised to tram users "for any inconvenience" caused by the strikes.

"These talks resulted in what we consider to be a fair pay offer in the current economic climate," he said.

"Over the past 19 months we have also done everything possible to support our colleagues during the coronavirus pandemic; there have been no redundancies and nobody has been furloughed or seen changes to their terms and conditions of employment.

"Furthermore, NET has maintained full pay for those who needed shielding to protect themselves or their family members, and full sick pay for anyone taken ill.

"Extensive Covid measures to help prevent the spread of the virus were also put in place to keep both colleagues and customers safe."

GMB said members "remain open to fair offers" to avoid future disruption, and thanked Nottingham residents for "overwhelming" support.

"Nottingham's tram workers are the lifeblood of the city, keeping businesses, families and working people moving," a spokesman said.

"It's time they got the reward and recognition they deserve from company top brass."