Bus services in Milton Keynes face severe disruption as Arriva workers threaten strike action

Arriva employees in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, and Hertfordshire are currently balloting for strike action over pay.

Around 900 Unite union members at the German-owned giant will vote on a with-strings offer from the company of an “outrageous” pay rise.

They are offering drivers, admin staff, engineers, cleaners and shunters rises of between 4% and 6%. With the real rate of inflation running at 11.7, Unite says this is a real terms pay cut.

Tied to the pay offer for drivers is a reduction of 16.6 per cent in overtime rates.

The threat of strike action comes days after Arriva announced an increase in some bus fares in Milton Keynes.

From Sunday July 17, all adult and child single and return tickets will see a rise in price by 5.5% to the nearest 10p. The discount for contactless payments will be removed, making them the same price as those paying with cash.

However, Adult Day tickets, Family Day tickets and the 'flexible 3 Day Bundle’ products have had their fares frozen.

Arriva workers at depots in Milton Keynes, Luton, Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Milton Keynes, Ware and Stevenage will take part in a strike ballot from July 13 and the voting closes on August 10.

The union says strike action would” severely impact” bus services.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The strings attached to this so-called pay offer are outrageous – they reduce the value of the offer to zero. Arriva is asking our members to take a huge cut in the value of their earnings. That is simply unacceptable.

“Arriva is part of a global transport giant. It can afford to pay its workers properly and Unite is determined that it will do so.”

Unite regional officer Jeff Hodge said: “Strike action will inevitably cause severe disruption to bus passengers across the region, but this dispute is entirely of Arriva’s own making as workers are not prepared to accept a pay cut disguised as a rise.

“Disruption can be avoided if Arriva makes a pay offer which meets members’ expectations.”

Nearly 2,000 Arriva workers in the North West have recently voted to strike over pay, while more than 650 Yorkshire Arriva workers were on strike earlier in the summer over the same issue.