Go North East workers have voted in favour of taking strike action over plans to close Chester-le-Street's bus depot.
The Chester-le-Street bus depot, which first opened in 1913, currently holds 78 vehicles and employs around 200 staff. However, Unite Union says that drivers and engineers have been told by bus operator Go North East they will be moved to other depots, which are located up to 14 miles away under the proposals.
Drivers and engineers have been told they will not lose their jobs if they relocate, but the union says that the depot’s cleaners, admin staff and other workers have had no such guarantees. Unite Union also said the company is cutting routes across the region despite assuring that services will not be impacted if the depot is closed.
Chronicle Live reported last month that Go North East announced last month that it was planning cuts to dozens more routes across the region in July, after already slashing services in Newcastle and North Tyneside earlier in the year. The company said it was “clear some services won’t recover to the point of being viable” after passenger numbers took a huge hit because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In response to the proposals, 170 Go North East workers in Chester-le-Street, who are part of the Unite Union, took part in a consultative ballot which recorded a 95% vote in favour of striking. A formal industrial action ballot opened on Friday, July 15 and will close on Thursday, July 28.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The prevailing mood of workers at the Chester-le-Street depot is definitely for strike action and Unite will back them all the way. This should serve as a warning to the company to scrap these damaging and poorly thought-out plans, which will severely impact on its workers and the town.”
Workers believe that closing the depot will risk jobs and damage the town’s economy, with many businesses said to rely on the trade of bus workers.
Unite regional coordinating officer Mark Sanderson said: “These plans are all about Go North East chasing short-term profits at the expense of long-term sustainability and service provision, which investment in a new depot would bring. Closing the depot will hurt our members’ jobs and working conditions, as well as damaging community services and the local economy.
"Our members have the support of the town in opposing the closure. Go North East needs to drop these plans before this dispute escalates into strike action.”
Go North East has been contacted for comment.
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