The Arriva bus strikes will continue after a ballot on a new pay offer was overwhelmingly rejected.
The ECHO has seen the results of the latest vote, which saw 79% of members vote against the latest pay offer from Arriva, understood to be in the region of 9.6%. It means the continuous strikes will continue into a 29th day tomorrow.
The action has been taking place every day since July 20 as drivers and workers fight for a fairer pay deal. During that period there have been no Arriva buses available across the whole of Merseyside.
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On Friday, news of a potential breakthrough came as Arriva said it had tabled an improved offer, which the Unite and GMB unions would take back to its members. Those members have been voting on the new pay proposal over the past two days.
But a count of the votes was carried out this afternoon and the offer was roundly rejected. Of those who voted, 79% backed rejecting the offer and continuing the strike. The ballot results show there was an 84% turnout across the Unite and GMB unions.
Arriva had said they had hoped their offer would be accepted and that buses would be back on the roads of Merseyside tomorrow. That will not now happen and a new and improved offer will need to be tabled to trigger another vote.
George Patterson, GMB regional organiser, said: “Working people are facing the worst cost of living crisis for a generation. These drivers are fighting for a fair pay rise to help them through it. We need something better from Arriva. Bus drivers need to know that they’ll be able to cover their bills.
“We won’t stop fighting for our members to get the decent pay they deserve.”
An Arriva spokesperson said: "We are incredibly disappointed that Unite and GMB members have voted not to accept our latest pay offer, inflicting yet further disruption and misery on our customers in the North West.
"Following the rejection of our latest pay offer today we agreed to meet the Union's pay demand in an attempt to end this strike action. The Unions responded by significantly increasing their pay demand for the second time in this process. This brings into question their intentions.
"The Unions are fully aware of the financial implications we face and the implications for our customers and local bus networks across the North West.
"We will continue to do all we can to resolve this dispute as quickly as possible. We understand the detrimental impact this situation is having on our customers, our communities, our local economy - we urge the unions to reconsider their position, act in good faith and show a genuine willingness to resolve this dispute for the benefit of their members and our customers."
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