Lothian bus drivers will strike from the end of next week

The Unite union has given Lothian buses the required notice that their members will walk out at 3am on Friday August 2, the first day of the Fringe.

But the stoppage could still be called off if the drivers vote to accept a last-minute offer tabled by the company which includes a 2.7 per cent pay rise.

An official ballot of Unite members last month produced 91 per cent support for a strike over what the union called a “toxic culture” of bullying and harassment.

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Union officials held off calling a stoppage to allow talks organised by arbitration service Acas to go ahead. But members then voted to reject the deal agreed at those talks.

Further talks took place last week and Unite regional industrial officer Lyn Turner said new proposals would now be put to the membership in a series of workplace ballots this Friday in the hope of averting a strike.

He said: “I have issued notice to Lothian buses for strike action to commence at 3am on August 2 and that will be continuous action.

“However, at this late stage the company has given us fresh proposals which we will now take to our members and we are hopeful that our members will accept the proposals.”

He said the new proposals were based on the Acas agreement and would enhance the deal previously on offer.

And although pay was never an issue in the current dispute, Mr Turner said the company’s proposals included a pay offer of 2.7 per cent across the board.”

He said other proposals designed to address the concerns about bullying included bringing in external experts to look at the management culture, which could lead to managers being sent on one-day courses, and a commitment that management would abide by company policies.

Mr Turner said: “It’s a sad day it has come to this considering we wanted talks since last December. However we remain optimistic that at this late stage we will get a settlement.

“It has been a long road and hopefully we have got some light now with firm commitments given in writing by the company. We look forward to working with them in the coming weeks if the proposals are accepted.”

The strike will not affect Lothian Buses’ subsidiaries like Lothian Motorcoaches and Edinburgh Bus Tours.