07/04/2022

Metro And Ulsterbus Announce Week Of Strike Action

Metro and Ulsterbus services will shut down completely for a week starting Monday 25 April, as drivers take strike action in a pay dispute.

The unions Unite and GMB has confirmed initial dates for strike action on Ulsterbus and Metro bus services.

The strike action planned will be a week starting 25 April and concluding on 1 May and a single day on Friday May 6.

The strike comes after members of the union overwhelmingly voted for industrial action after rejecting the latest Translink management pay offer.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham expressed her support for the striking bus workers: "These bus workers are frontline workers – they deserve respect and a pay increase. Translink needs to grasp that there's a cost of living crisis destroying the value of wages and return with a more acceptable offer.

"Unite's members have my full support and that of their union in taking this strike action for fairer pay."

Unite deputy Regional Secretary Davy Thompson is lead officer for Translink, Northern Ireland's bus and rail public transport provider. He added: "Unite represents the overwhelming majority of bus workers, and this strike action taken in conjunction with GMB which also represents bus workers will shut down all bus services.

"Bus workers deserve a pay increase. The ball is in the court of Translink management. They can to avoid this unnecessary and highly disruptive strike – they need to address our members' legitimate pay expectations."

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