Saturday shoppers in Southport are going to be crippled by a bus strike this weekend, with thousands of drivers off the road.
This means dozens of key bus routes in and around Southport, which are heavily used by pensioners and the disabled, will be disrupted and even in some cases, suspended completely.
The news follows a vote by the Arriva bus driver’s union Unite which sees 2,000 members, all of them drivers, set to strike this weekend in a row over pay.
Negotiations between Arriva and union leaders had been progressing and bosses even offered a 2% rise but late last week these talks collapsed.
The strike, which will affect a number of travel routes across the North West, will see Arriva chiefs scrambling to limit the disruption but it’s understood timetables will be significantly impacted regardless.
Unite said: “Arriva North West was responsible for the likelihood of all-out strike action, which is scheduled to begin this Saturday (30 October), due to its failure to offer a decent wage increase.”
Arriva UK Bus spokesperson: “We are disappointed to hear that despite further talks with our Trade Unions and an improved offer, which would mean our employees remain the highest paid in the region, they have informed us that they still intend to strike from Saturday 30th October at 03:00.”
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