First Bus Leeds: Residents react as 800 bus drivers set to walk out on indefinite strike action

Bus drivers for First West Yorkshire have announced they will take continuous industrial action over the company’s refusal to return the date on which new pay rises are enacted back to normal. Starting from June 18, the strikes will take place daily for an undisclosed amount of time and see heavy disruption to bus traffic around the city.

During the pandemic, an agreement was made with workers to change their anniversary pay date to October in order to assist First Bus financially, but according to Unite, the union representing the 800 striking bus drivers, First has refused to move the date back to April, where it was before the pandemic.

This refusal would mean that drivers will not receive their pay increase until October at the earliest, a bitter blow with many struggling as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.

Reacting to the new one social media one YEP reader said: “It’s getting ridiculous with these strikes now while I understand the need a pay rise what about passengers needing to get to work.

"I don’t drive and I have 5 appointments at hospital over the next few weeks for my elderly mother who has to travel in a wheelchair I can’t afford Taxi’s.”

Another quipped: “Where I live, I doubt anyone will notice the difference.”

Bus drivers in Leeds are based out of two West Yorkshire depots, which means the strikes will have a large impact on public transport. First Bus has yet to announce how the bus schedule will look while industrial action is underway.

The news of the strike action comes less than two months after First Bus announced widespread changes to their Leeds service, including the withdrawal of the 9, 48 and 87 services while the 51 and 52 services through Leeds city centre from Morley in the south to Moor Allerton in the north were split to improve punctuality.

Many residents living outside the city centre were left fearing they would be “cut off” by such cuts, but were later boosted when the number 9 service, which connects Horsforth to the White Rose Shopping Centre was saved by an eleventh hour Yorkshire Buses bid.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “When First West Yorkshire needed its drivers to dig deep for the company, they did. Not only did they put their and their families’ health on the line by continuing to drive First buses, they also agreed to delay getting a pay rise.

“Our members are absolutely right to strike at what is essentially a stab in the back by First West Yorkshire and they will receive Unite’s total support.”

Andrew Cullen, Managing Director of First North & West Yorkshire, said in a statement: “We are disappointed in the decision of UNITE to announce strike action. The current agreement on pay, which was signed by UNITE and its officials, is in place and agreed until October 2023.

“The management team at First North & West Yorkshire have been working hard to find solutions to help our valued drivers during these tough economic times and have made a series of substantial and unconditional offers to satisfy demands.”