Union escalates Hampshire bus strikes as pay rift deepens
Unite says drivers and supervisors on First Bus services will walk out in February and March
More than 140 bus drivers and supervisors in Hampshire have stepped up their strike action as a dispute over pay continues.
The Unite union is accusing First Bus Solent of trying to impose a pay deal that had already been rejected by workers at the Hoeford depot near Fareham.
The operator has rejected those claims and has urged the union to meet them for further talks.
Unite's latest round of strike action began yesterday (Tuesday 25th) and continues until Thursday, while further action is also scheduled for between March 3rd and 7th and March 10th and 11th.
It means next to no services will run on routes serving Portsmouth, Gosport, Fareham and Southampton on those dates.
In a statement, Unite said that First Bus had offered a 4% pay deal to staff, while refusing to to reinstate 'many of the terms and conditions that were removed during the Covid pandemic'.
They have also accused bosses of refusing to enter negotiations with either the union themselves or the conciliation service Acas.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:
"First Group is making millions of pounds of profit across the UK on public transport yet is treating its workers and the communities they serve in Hampshire with disdain.
"To pay barely above the minimum wage for a skilled and high-pressure job is utterly unacceptable.
"To now attempt to impose a pay deal already rejected by our membership is an act of desperation and cowardice.
"Our members at First have the total support of Unite in their dispute."
In response, Simon Goff, managing director of First Bus Solent, said:
“Our people deserve a pay rise, and they have been waiting since August last year while negotiations have taken place with Unite.
“After many months of negotiations, which first began in May 2024, First Bus and the Trade Union Negotiating Committee were unfortunately unable to reach a mutual agreement.
“This dispute went on for long enough for both colleagues and customers and we fully exhausted the negotiation process. Once the collective pay negotiation process has been exhausted, we are able to implement the pay increase.
“Last weekend, we awarded a 4.8% pay increase to all our drivers. This is part of a pay offer that represents a 35.9% pay increase since 2021, which is significantly ahead of inflation.
“The implementation of this pay deal in no way interferes with our ongoing collective bargaining arrangements with Unite on pay, and we will engage with them again in future negotiations.
“Further strike action has considerable impact on our customers who rely on our services. We encourage Unite to call off the industrial action so we can give our people their back pay, and hopefully agree our proposed further 3% pay rise from August 2025.”