Greater Manchester bus standstill looms as workers ballot for strikes

Over 2,000 staff including drivers from Oldham are being balloted across the city's Bee Network after rejecting poor pay offers.

There could be severe disruption to buses in Greater Manchester as thousands of Unite members working for the 'Bee Network' including drivers are currently being balloted for strike action. 

At Stagecoach, around 1,000 drivers based across the Oldham, Stockport and Middleton depots have rejected a pay offer of 3.5 per cent. 

Stagecoach is a highly profitable firm, with figures from last year showing it recorded a total operating profit of £51.1m - up from £33.1m - and a profit before taxation of £47.6m. 

Meanwhile, 1,000 Metroline Manchester members at the following depots: Sharston, Hyde Road, Ashton and Wythenshawe are also being balloted after turning down an unsatisfactory below inflation pay offer of 3.5 per cent.  

Workers at both Metroline and Stagecoach believe the offer doesn’t address years of low pay, especially in the context of the cost-of-living crisis. 

Since moving into Manchester in January this year, Metroline has increased its overall portfolio by 30 per cent. The firm is now set to bid for tenders in Liverpool City Region and West Yorkshire as those areas move to franchising. 

Finally, a consultative ballot of 110 members at First bus Rochdale showed 95 per cent wanted to reject this year's pay offer of six per cent, which does not go far enough to address the fact workers there have had years of being paid less than their counterparts at other companies. 

First Bus Rochdale are currently the lowest paid in the region on £15 per hour for all shifts, compared to those at some local rivals who earn £17 per hour Monday to Friday and £19 per hour on weekends. Meanwhile, cleaners, supervisors and engineers at First Bus Rochdale are some of the lowest paid in the area. 

First Bus Rochdale is part of First Group PLC, which had an operating profit of £204.3m in 2024 while dividends paid to shareholders were increased by 45 per cent compared to the previous year. 

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "All of the firms involved in this dispute are highly profitable - but their workers are being denied a fair wage. Stagecoach, Metroline and First can all fully afford to make a fair pay offer but they are choosing not to to boost their profits.” 

The three ballots close on September 4. If Unite members at the various bus companies across the Bee Network vote to take strike action, this could start as early mid-September with a view to coordinating industrial action so all walkouts happen at the same time. 

The Bee Network is an integrated transport network for Greater Manchester, comprising bus, tram, cycling and walking routes. Bus firms were brought into the network from December 2022. 

Unite regional officer Colin Hayden added: "Should these strikes go ahead they would bring Manchester's bus network to a standstill. 

"We appreciate that residents who rely on these bus services will be disappointed to hear of potential action, but it is entirely the fault of the employers. We urge them to come back to the table with improved offers to prevent what will be a highly disruptive strike."