Mayor fears Cambridgeshire bus driver strikes could be 'devastating'
Talks around strike action come amid a dispute over pay
A Cambridgeshire mayor has said bus drivers going on strike would have a "devastating" impact on local people.
Stagecoach East drivers and engineers in the county have rejected a fresh pay deal from the company, according to the Unite union.
"Bus strikes in rural areas is absolutely devastating for the residents, people going to school, hospital appointments, because not everyone can afford a car," Councillor Alex Miscandlon, mayor of Whittlesey, said.
"Strikes don't generate money, they lose money for the drivers, the company; yes we all want more money, but you have to be realistic."
Unite has said 350 Stagecoach employees - based at Cambridge, Peterborough and Fenstanton - have rejected a pay deal that "does not reflect the rising cost of living and the demands of the job."
A ballot for strike action closes today (Wednesday).
'If the buses weren't there, it'd be difficult'
Norman, 68, from Whittlesey often relies on the bus as he's unable to drive.
"If you go on strike, you've got to think about your family," he said.
"(The bus) is convenient because it will get me from here to see my daughter, but other than that, if the buses weren't there, it would be difficult (to get around)."
The union said workers, who earn £15.60 an hour, have been offered a two year deal of 4% in year one and 3% in year two.
“Stagecoach makes huge profits and can absolutely afford to table an improved pay offer – this is what needs to happen," Sharon Graham, Unite's general secretary, said.
"Unite backs Stagecoach’s Cambridgeshire workforce 100% in their demands for a fair pay rise.”
Stagecoach 'open to talks'
Darren Roe, managing director at Stagecoach East, has said the company is open to talks with the union.
“We believe our rates of pay, terms and conditions remain at the top end of the local market for bus drivers, and we are always open for talks with Unite," he said.
"At the same time, we must think about the future of the bus network and the implications that higher pay demands have on our loyal customers.”
Earlier this year, Stagecoach East announced it would withdraw some local bus services from the end of August.
That includes route 31 between Ramsey and Whittlesey, which has since been saved by the county's Combined Authority, while Stagecoach still runs the route 33 section from Whittlesey to Peterborough.
"Some of them can't drive because they're elderly, so therefore they rely on public transport and if you remove that, you remove a section of their life and that's devastating for them," Mr Miscandlon added.
"I was a shop steward in engineering in my working days, and we worked out then that strikes don't achieve very much; they just antagonise people and that's not good for the public or companies."