Over 1,000 drivers at First West of England in
Bristol, Bath, Weston-Super-Mare and Wells could take action
after rejecting an unsatisfactory pay offer
There could be major disruption to bus services in and around
Bristol as over 1,000 drivers, members of Unite, are being
balloted for industrial action over pay at six depots.
In Bristol, the First West of England drivers work at Bristol Bus
Station, Lawrence Hill and Hengrove, which provide inner-city bus
routes in the city as well as services for Bristol Airport, the
local universities and Amazon's Bristol warehouse. The other
three depots being balloted are Weston-Super-Mare, Bath and
Wells.
The dispute comes after members rejected a two-year pay deal,
which would give them just £1 an hour extra of pay per hour from
now until March 2026, then a 30p hourly increase from April 2026.
New starters will only be offered 50p extra on the hourly
rate, which goes up by just 10p next April.
Drivers will also lose out financially, as despite the pay
anniversary date being April First West of England has not
committed to giving backpay for the past four months of the wage
increase.
First West of England is part of First Group PLC. Last year,
First Group PLC had an operating profit of £204.3m and share
dividends were increased by 45% compared to the previous year.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "This is
yet another example of a profitable company prioritising greed
and the needs of its shareholders over hardworking members who do
a difficult job driving buses every day – Unite will not stand
for this.
"Any disruption is entirely the fault of First West
of England and our members will have Unite's full support during
this dispute."
The ballot at Lawrence Hill and Hengrove closes on 19
August while the one at Bristol Bus Station,
Weston-Super-Mare, Bath and Wells closes on 21
August.
As First West of England is the main bus operator in Bristol, any
industrial action is likely to be extremely disruptive with
delays and cancellations of services expected.
Unite regional officer Amy Roberts said: "We
appreciate local residents may be concerned to hear of potential
strike action, but First West of England has failed to put
forward a meaningful pay offer to our members.
"Drivers at First West of England do a vital job for
the general public and deserve to be paid fairly. We urge First
West of England to come back to the table with a better offer to
avoid any disruption."
