Urgent warning as bus services to be slashed in Scots city for THREE MONTHS
Commuters in Dundee have faced travel difficulties for weeks as a bus company cuts its schedules amid a workers’ strike.
About 200 Xplore Dundee workers at the city’s East Dock Street depot will go on strike for 12 weeks from Monday, Unite confirmed on Friday after recent talks with the bus company failed to yield a breakthrough.
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The bus company has warned that the strike will mean most services will operate to a changed Sunday timetable – with services running every 30 to 60 minutes on core routes during the day.
Some services, including the Dundee and Fife school buses, will be discontinued, the company said, but some extra early morning journeys have been added for those commuting to work, including journeys to and from Ninewells Hospital.
Only the connection to Edinburgh Airport runs as usual with a bus every 90 minutes.
Dougie Maguire, Unite’s regional coordinating officer, said: “The only thing that can prevent a strike is if the company significantly improves its salary offer.” It really is that simple.
“Either the company values its workers and is willing to pay them what they can reasonably afford, or they want to go on strike instead.”
Workers involved in the strike, which was supported by 93% of voters, included drivers, foremen, platform and administrative staff.
Unite members had rejected a 7% increase that the union said had not been improved and that talks at the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) on Friday had made no progress.
Mr Maguire said: “In a last-ditch effort to stop the impending strike, Xplore Dundee management sought talks with us about Acas.
“It was a cynical last-day move as they had months to resolve this dispute.”
Before Monday’s strike, Unite claimed its members were lagging behind those working at other similar bus companies in Tayside and Fife.
The union claimed that workers at other companies were paid more competitive wages and had access to overtime pay and a company sick pay scheme.
Workers recently supported the strike at Xplore Dundee. About 93% of the 88.6% who took part in the vote supported the strike.
Ralph Roberts, CEO of McGill’s Group said: “In order to avert the strike planned by Unite the Union at our Xplore Dundee store from Monday 12th June we have called a meeting with ACAS to reach an agreement.
“This happened today and we have amended our offer to meet union expectations.
“Unfortunately, the Union is not ready to present this offer to its members and we have not been able to reach an agreement.”
“The strike will now continue as planned. McGill’s will endeavor to minimize the disruption to our customers caused by a changed Sunday timetable.”
“We firmly refute the narrative of Unite’s Sharon Graham and Dougie Maguire, who have instilled false expectations in their members and will leave it to the Dundee public to pick up the pieces of their unreasonable demands.”
“We will be writing to our staff in the coming days to repeat the improved offer.”
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