Go North East: Gateshead council leader's bus-strike plea

Gateshead council leader Martin Gannon

A council leader has pleaded with bus chiefs and union bosses to resolve a crippling strike.

A seven-day workers' strike means no Go North East services are running this week, with an indefinite strike planned from 28 October.

Gateshead Council leader Martin Gannon believes the dispute could hamper efforts to get more people on to buses.

He is calling for a settlement to be found in an effort to end the disruption.

Mr Gannon told a meeting of the North East Transport Committee, which he chairs, that the industrial action had been "enormously damaging" for the region and risked undermining efforts to reverse a "40-year decline" in bus use.

Go North East services are not running this week

This week's strike is the second round of industrial action this month, writes the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Bus drivers, engineers, maintenance workers and depot crews are planning to stage a continuous strike later this month.

Unite has complained that an average wage for a Go North East driver is £12.83 per hour, compared to £15.53 for drivers at Go North West.

A spokesperson for the union said its members have been offered a "derisory, below-inflation pay offer that included cuts to terms and conditions". Go North East has accused the union of U-turning on a proposed deal.

On Tuesday Mr Gannon called for a resolution to the row, saying: "Our concern is for residents. This is having an enormously damaging impact on [them] and on the work we are doing to reverse the decline in bus usage.

"We would urge all parties in this dispute to get around a table and come to a settlement."

Last Friday the bus operator claimed the union had walked away from a settlement that included a 10% pay rise.

A spokesperson for the company described further strike plans as "extremely disappointing".

Unite's regional officer, Mark Sanderson, said members would not back down in their "fight for better pay". "We would urge the company to come back to the table with an offer that brings fairness to the pay and conditions of our members," he said.