Last-minute talks planned to avoid bus drivers’ strike in North Wales

Last month, nearly 400 Arriva bus drivers voted overwhelmingly to strike for five weeks in a pay dispute – a 95 per cent vote in favour of strike action, according to the trade union Unite the Union.

Arriva Cymru bus drivers at depots including Amlwch, Bangor, Hawarden, Llandudno, Rhyl and Wrexham will strike continuously from 6am on Sunday, November 14 until 1am on Sunday, December 19.

But a spokesperson for Arriva has said that a meeting was pencilled in for today (November 9) to hopefully come to some sort of agreement.

An Arriva UK Bus spokesperson said: “It is very regrettable to hear that Unite members in Arriva’s depots across North Wales and Chester have voted in favour of striking over rates of pay.

“While we understand concerns about recent increases to the cost of living, we believe the offer we put forward (believed to be 1.77 per cent backdated to January 1 – well below inflation rates) is fair and highly competitive.

“Arriva is very committed to continued dialogue and has already been involved in extensive discussions with our trade union partners.

“We have a further meeting arranged for November 9, with our trade union partners.

“Public transport remains under enormous pressure following the effects of the pandemic and it’s vital that we work together to build a recovery, while also providing continuity of services for local communities.”

Roughly 2,000 Arriva drivers across north-west England also voted in favour of strike action, though this has since been suspended.

An Arriva bus driver based in North Wales said last month backed the striking not only because of pay rates, but also because of substandard working conditions.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “It is time that Arriva Cymru’s management woke up and smelled the coffee.

“The 95 per cent vote in favour of industrial action shows how determined our members are to fight for a better pay deal.

“And make no mistake, they will have the full backing of Unite during their five week strike.

“They were local heroes in the pandemic, so surely now is the time for that dedication and hard work to be rewarded with a substantial pay rise.”

Unite regional officer Jo Goodchild said: “Obviously, this is a huge mandate for industrial action - one of the biggest I have ever experienced.

“There is a window of opportunity for the management to sit down with Unite for a constructive dialogue over pay before strike action starts on November 14 – and we urge Arriva Cymru to rise to this challenge.

“The alternative is that a large part of the public transport network along the Welsh coast as far as Holyhead faces grinding to a halt in the run-up to Christmas.”

Regarding the potential disruption the strike would inevitable cause to public transport arrangements, Anglesey’s head of service for highways, waste and property, Huw Percy, said: “We have been advised by the operator (Arriva Cymru) that it has received notice of industrial action which will begin at 6am on Sunday, November 14, until December 19.

“Strike action, if it goes ahead, would impact a number of key bus route on the Island and cause disruption for many users, including college students and those reliant on these services to get to and from work.”

“Given the potential number of bus services which could be affected, the County Council is, unfortunately, not in a position to provide alternative services.”

“We have informed Coleg Menai of the risk to the usual arrangements and would urge those who use these services to make alternative travel provision for the weeks ahead.”

The following bus services are currently operated by Arriva:

• All service 4 journeys (seven days a week) – this is the route between Bangor and Holyhead.
• Three service 24 journeys (six days a week) – this is the service within Holyhead.
• All service 58 journeys (seven days a week) – this is the route between Bangor and Beaumaris.
• All service 62 journeys (seven days a week) –  this is the route between Bangor and Amlwch.
• The operator also operates five service buses to Coleg Menai on behalf of the Authority.

A Gwynedd Council spokesperson said: “We continue to monitor the possible industrial action by Arriva drivers that could impact upon some bus journeys in Gwynedd.

“As a council, we have made arrangements to ensure that replacement services are in place for any services provided for college students by Arriva.

"The company do not operate any statutory school transport for the council.

“We sympathise with passengers that bus services provided by Arriva in the county will be impacted due to the possible driver strike.”

A spokesperson for Denbighshire County Council said: “Arriva is working to avoid this (strike) action but passengers will need to consider their plans in case this goes ahead.

“If Arriva buses are not operating, this means that passengers who use Arriva will need to make alternative arrangements. This includes learners attending school or college if they pay a fare.

“For Denbighshire residents who are eligible for free school or college transport and who use Arriva, Denbighshire County Council is making every effort to find alternatives for them. We cannot guarantee, however, that every journey can be covered.

“We would advise residents to check social media for the latest position.”

Conwy County Borough Council said in a statement: "Given the number of bus services that could potentially be affected, Conwy County Borough Council is not in a position to provide alternative services and we would therefore urge those who use these services to make alternative travel provision for the weeks ahead.

"The council uses some Arriva services to provide transport for learners who are entitled to free school transport.

"Where possible, we will make every effort to provide alternative arrangements for those learners who are already receiving free school transport and we will contact parents/guardians to confirm this separately."