A NORTH EAST bus company has said it is "extremely disappointed" that strike action is pushing ahead after it was claimed drivers in parts of the region were being paid less.
Drivers at Stagecoach North East's depots in Hartlepool and Stockton will take industrial action from Monday (November 8) after pay talks failed.
It comes as Unite the Union last month accused the company of "divide-and-rule" tactics and said drivers on Teesside were being paid less than colleagues in Tyne & Wear.
Read more: Dates set as bus drivers to strike at SEVERAL DEPOTS across the North East over pay
Last night, Labour MP for Stockton North Alex Cunningham defended the striking drivers' decision and said drivers in Tyne & Wear were being offered more than £1 an hour more.
He said: “I’m appalled that bus drivers on Teesside earn less than their counterparts on Tyneside for doing the same job.
"There’s simply no good reason for that, nor the refusal of Stagecoach to negotiate pay on an equal footing.
"It gives the message that Stagecoach bosses value Teesside workers less than others. These divide and rule tactics have to stop.
“Drivers and Unite the union are asking for Stagecoach to get round the table and negotiate a fair pay deal for all; a deal that would mean Teesside drivers get paid the same as those on Tyneside.
"Stagecoach are hiding behind technicalities in denying equal pay trying to make the case that because the actual companies employing the two groups of workers are different.
“The last thing I want to see are drivers on strike and the inconvenience that will mean for the passengers so I’m urging Stagecoach’s Managing Director to get back round the table and put forward a pay deal that shows Stagecoach thinks Teesside drivers are equal in worth to those elsewhere.”
Mr Cunningham said Stagecoach bosses had refused to negotiate pay equally, instead carrying out talks on a depot-by-depot basis.
He said that this means a bus driver on Tyneside is being offered a 5.7 percent increase (from £11.60 per hour up to £12.26 per hour) whereas one on Teesside is only being offered a 3.7 percent increase (£11.12 per hour up from £10.72).
Unite previously said that more than 800 drivers, engineers, cleaners and managers at Stagecoach North East voted in favour of strike action.
At the time Sharon Graham, General Secretary at Unite, described the offer put on the table to Teesside drivers as "miserable."
Last night, the company confirmed major disruption was expected as it said it would be hit by strike action, and reduced timetables on non-strike days from next week.
It said services run from Teesside, including the Tees Flex, would be impacted.
Steve Walker, Managing Director for Stagecoach North East, said: “We’re extremely disappointed that the action being taken by Unite means that we are unable to run any bus services on strike days, and reduced timetables on non-strike days, from Monday 8 November.
“We recognise that our employees deserve a good pay rise and we have held flexible and positive discussions in our attempts to reach a settlement with Unite.
“Despite agreeing terms with the GMB Union in Sunderland and with Unite in the majority of other UK depots, it’s very disappointing that this has not been mirrored by representatives of Unite in Teesside and Hartlepool, and instead they seem determined to forge ahead with strike action.
“We remain open to continuing discussions with the union and would urge them to call off this unnecessary action which will cause untold inconvenience to local communities, and will hit the pockets of our employees and their families.”
Stagecoach has said its customers will be able to use their tickets on Arriva North East buses during the period of industrial action.
As a result, Stagecoach has published a revised timetable for services in Hartlepool here and Teesside here.
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