Aberdeen bus drivers gear up for strike
Walkouts planned in First pay row
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ABERDEEN bus passengers were today warned they faced a summer of travel nightmares on services.
A 24-hour strike is set hit services next Thursday to coincide with First’s annual meeting at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre that day.
And the strike will be followed by indefinite work to rule protests, when all Aberdeen services are expected to be up to 30 minutes late and passengers dumped off buses.
Management claim First workers want a 52% pay rise while union bosses have said they only want 4% but with other add-ons.
The action is set to involve staff insisting on full vehicle maintenance checks every time a new driver boards a vehicle.
Bus drivers normally carry out the safety checks on wheels and engines, which take about 30 minutes, in their own time.
But the checks will all take place during company time, meaning services face major delays.
The move means Aberdeen passengers will have to leave vehicles as the buses return to the depot for the safety checks.
And it will see buses late in leaving depots in the morning.
The industrial action, which involves drivers, depot staff and cleaners, will kick into action as part of a pay dispute between drivers and First bosses.
The move comes after the firm’s drivers, who earn between £24,000 and £34,000, and depot and cleaning staff received a 5% rise after a series of strikes before last Christmas.
