2021 Stagecoach strikes

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2021 Stagecoach strikes
Date6 September 2021 – ongoing
Location
Liverpool, Lancashire, Devon, Cwmbran, Cheltenham and Teeside, United Kingdom
Caused by
  • Disagreements over labour contract between union and company
Resulted in
  • Pay agreements reached in certain areas
Parties to the civil conflict

The 2021 Stagecoach strikes are a ongoing series of labour strikes by Stagecoach Group bus drivers across the United Kingdom in 2021.[1][2] Represented by Unite the Union or the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), workers in over 20 different areas were involved in labour disputes with Stagecoach, with strikes being called in several of those areas.[3]

Timeline[]

On 6 September, Unite the Union warned that Stagecoach was facing potential strikes in both Lancashire and Liverpool, stating that the company "made a profit of £58.4 million and it has £875 million of available liquidity" in 2020, but that bus drivers were underpaid and were given insufficient support for self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] Unite also warned of potential strikes in Kent and Scotland.[5]

On 1 October, Stagecoach bus drivers in Lancashire voted in favour of strike action, planning days of strikes on 14, 16, and 22 October, amid concerns of driver shortages caused by low pay.[6] On 14 October, however, the planned strike in Lancashire was called off after a new agreement was reached. The new one-year deal would include a 4,4% pay raise for drivers, up from the 2,25% the workers had received in 2020.[7]

On 18 October, a planned one-day strike in Devon was called off after Stagecoach and the RMT reached a new agreement.[8]

On 19 October, Stagecoach drivers in south Wales began strike action.[9] During collective bargaining agreement, the workers in south Wales, represented by Unite the Union, had sought a pay increase from £9.50 an hour to £10.50, however, the company refused, saying that it would only increase pay up to £10.10 an hour and on the condition that the workers accept cuts to sick pay and breaks.[10] Bus drivers' wages in Wales were among the lowest in the UK, significantly less than other Stagecoach depots, and the drivers in south Wales had seen a wage freeze over the previous two years.[11]

On 25 October, a planned strike in west Scotland was called off after an agreement was reached between the companies and the workers.[12]

On 3 November, Unite announced that it would be escalating the strike in south Wales after further negotiations with the company broke down, potentially extending the strike through to 10 January 2022.[13][14]

On 5 November, Stagecoach bus drivers in Teesside voted to take strike action.[15] On 8 November, the Teeside strike began, with 12 days of strike action planned throughout November and the first week of December.[16][17]

Industrial action was announced in Cheltenham [18] and the rest of the Stagecoach West operations, which had been scheduled to happen during the 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup. This, however, was later averted.[19]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Stagecoach bus staff to strike over pay dispute". BBC News. 1 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Bus network in Britain facing strikes over drivers' low pay". The Guardian. 14 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Stagecoach workers balloted over strike action". BBC News. 23 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Lancashire and Liverpool face Stagecoach bus strikes this autumn". www.unitetheunion.org.
  5. ^ "Kent bus drivers could strike over pay amid staff shortages". 2 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Lancashire bus drivers vote for strike action over pay". www.lep.co.uk.
  7. ^ "Lancashire Stagecoach bus drivers' strike called off as pay deal reached". BBC News. 14 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Stagecoach strike called off after 'constructive discussions' with union". ITV News. 18 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Stagecoach bus drivers set for strike over pay dispute". BBC News. 13 October 2021.
  10. ^ "Stagecoach bus strike: More than 50 south Wales routes affected". BBC News. 19 October 2021.
  11. ^ Cook, S. C. (14 November 2021). "The Stagecoach Strike & Workers Resistance In The Age Of Climate Breakdown -".
  12. ^ "Bus strike called off after pay deal agreed". BBC News. 25 October 2021.
  13. ^ "Bus drivers plan two months of continuous strikes after latest pay talks fail". South Wales Argus.
  14. ^ "Bus drivers plan two months of continuous strikes after latest pay talks fail". The National Wales.
  15. ^ "Stagecoach Teesside bus services cut as strikes to go ahead". BBC News. 5 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Hartlepool and Stockton Stagecoach bus strike begins". BBC News. 11 August 2021.
  17. ^ Corrigan, Naomi (16 November 2021). "Stagecoach staff to join picket line on third day of strikes". TeessideLive.
  18. ^ https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/03/02/stag-m02.html
  19. ^ https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/cheltenham-festival-bus-strikes-averted-6758244[bare URL]
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