Manchester festive travel disruption as Metrolink tram workers to strike

Major travel disruption is set to hit Manchester next month as 320 tram drivers working for KeolisAmey Metrolink Limited have voted to strike.

The drivers, members of Unite, work at the Warwick Road South and Queens Road depots in the city and operate trams on all routes in Greater Manchester. 

This dispute centres around fatigue. Currently, the drivers’ shift patterns mean they work 450 hours over a 12-week period. This results in some drivers working 50 hours on, followed by just two days off, then back into another 50-hour work pattern. 

They also have fewer rest days compared to colleagues in other operational departments such as engineering and customer support, meaning drivers have suffered from fatigue due to not having adequate breaks and are concerned about operating heavy passenger vehicles while exhausted. 

Unite has repeatedly raised the issue with management but has been told there is no funding available for improvements to working patterns. 

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Driver fatigue is a major safety issue for both our members and passengers, but Metrolink management is not taking this seriously. 

"Metrolink is guilty of not acting on our member’s concerns. It can’t ignore this issue any longer. Our members will have Unite’s full support throughout this strike." 

The KeolisAmey Metrolink tram system is the largest in the UK, handling a record 45 million journeys last year with four million of these taking place last December. It is part of Greater Manchester’s integrated transport network the Bee Network. 

Tram drivers will initially walk out from Friday, December 5 to Sunday, December 7, impacting major events in the city, such as the world-famous Manchester Christmas markets, Ed Sheeran, Jamiroquai and Pete Tong concerts and the Manchester City vs Sunderland game on December 6 at the Etihad Stadium. It will also cause disruption to people socialising in hospitality venues in the run-up to Christmas. 

Unite regional officer Colin Hayden said: "Our members at Metrolink care about passenger safety and feel they have no choice but to walk out to make their voices heard. 

"We appreciate strike action will be frustrating for passengers, but it is entirely the fault of the employer. Metrolink must come back to the table with a meaningful solution to the fatigue and conditions issues to avoid this disruptive action."