AN ARRIVA bus driver has said ‘higher management are just thinking about money’ as a five-week strike following a pay dispute looms closer.

According to the Unite the Union trade union, Welsh drivers were offered a 29p-an-hour increase, while Arriva workers in north-west England have been offered a 39p hourly rise.

An Arriva spokesperson said on Wednesday evening that, after two days of last-minute talks, a fresh and ‘highly competitive’ offer was made, which will be taken to a fresh ballot today (November 11) and tomorrow.

If a deal is not agreed, roughly 400 drivers working 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.

This follows a previous ballot of Arriva drivers which saw 95 per cent of them vote in favour of industrial action.

The driver, who expects the new offer be voted down in the fresh ballot, said: "Higher management are just thinking about money, not the staff and the people it's going to affect.

“None of us really want to go on strike; we got through COVID-19 and a lot of people were off through that, so the last thing we want to do is go through something like that again.

“But they're just not listening, and unfortunately, it (the strike) is the only way to get anyone to listen.

“We're not doing it through malice; we're doing it through need. The cost of living is going up; we're struggling as it is.

The driver also complained about some of the working conditions, saying that, when driving a bus, "You're not only thinking about yourself, you're thinking about the people on the bus, sitting on plastic seats. You can't slam your foot on the brake. So you've got to concentrate on that, and on the road, looking at least seven cars ahead of yourself.

“And then when driving for four to five hours, you get tired, and it gets dangerous. We've mentioned this and they're not listening.

"If we’re doing a five-hour run, I'd like at least a 30-minute break after two-and-a-half hours, and then when we come back, maybe a couple of shorter, local journeys, so you can refresh yourself."

Arriva was approached for a response to the driver’s comments but said that their initial statement yesterday still stood.

The statement read: “Further to ongoing talks this week with our trade unions partners, Unite, we have put forward another improved offer which is highly competitive and this will be taken to a fresh ballot with our colleagues on Thursday and Friday this week.

“We want to reach full resolution with this latest offer, but for any of our customers who are planning to travel from Sunday, we would strongly urge them to check for updates before they travel.

“If a strike goes ahead, regrettably, Arriva Buses Wales will not be able to run from Sunday.

“We will provide an update as the situation becomes clearer in the coming days.”

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