Workers at bus factory to strike again over pay

Industrial action at a major North Yorkshire bus factory will not end until an improved pay offer is presented, a union has said.

About 400 workers at the Alexander Dennis factory at Eastfield near Scarborough are set to walk out a second time, from 16 to 20 July, over a wage dispute.

Workers have rejected a 4% offer from the company, with trade union Unite saying the cost-of-living crisis had been compounded for them "by years of sub-par pay increases".

A spokesperson for Alexander Dennis previously said the company was "one of the top-paying employers in Scarborough" and had made "a very fair and above-inflation offer".

Unite said wages in the last five years had increased by about 15%, below the rate of inflation which had been about 35%, going by the Retail Price Index (RPI).

The workers previously walked out from 25 June to 1 July.

General secretary Sharon Graham said: "These workers have seen their pay plummet in real terms. Enough is enough.

"Alexander Dennis must come back with a pay offer that matches their hard work and commitment. Strikes will not end until that happens."

A spokesperson for the company said: "The UK bus manufacturing sector is under intense pressure - costs are rising and half of all new buses now come from overseas."

They said it was "incredibly disappointing" that the earlier offer was rejected by union members, adding that it was "imperative" that discussions were grounded in "economic and business reality".

"We are committed to working with the union and our team members to bring this matter to a resolution," they added.

Unite officials said further dates for industrial action would be scheduled if the dispute was not resolved.

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