LATE discussions regarding improved pay rates for Arriva bus drivers in North Wales have entered a second day in an attempt to prevent the planned strike set to start this weekend.

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

Unless a last-minute agreement can be reached, 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 after talks began yesterday between Arriva and trade union groups, an improved deal for workers has yet to be struck.

An Arriva bus driver in North Wales who was informed of the disappointing outcome of yesterday’s meeting by a Unite official said: “The talks about a pay rise didn’t go too well. They went to the table on a number of times without any progress. The talks are to start again today.”

The driver’s belief is that Arriva is ‘not thinking about their staff or the public that rely on the buses’, adding: "As of today, the strike action is still on.

“The union will listen to a reasonable offer and bring it forward to the members to decide if it is expected.

“The offer that has been mentioned by staff is still lower than the cost of living, so it is not people being greedy; it's people asking to be treated fairly and with respect.

“Staff have families and friends who use the buses for work and school, so they really don't want to strike, as this disruption is preventative.”

Representatives from both Unite and Arriva confirmed that talks have continued into a second day today, with an Arriva UK Bus spokesperson saying: “Our previous statement still stands and talks are ongoing at this time while we try to reach an agreement.”

An offer put forward by Arriva, believed to be a 1.77 per cent increase backdated to January 1, was described by an Arriva UK Bus spokesperson as ‘fair and highly competitive’.

The bus driver, who has also called for an improvement to the general working conditions as well as a pay rise, claimed that staff are looking for an increase of closer to four per cent, which Arriva ‘haven’t even come close to’ offering as yet.

Recent figures show the UK’s cost of living rose by an average of 3.1 per cent in the last 12 months, with the Bank of England predicting that this figure could rise above four per cent by December and stay that high until next spring.