Strike on buses is threat to Metro service

First York staff have voted not to accept a pay deal offered by management. A new ballot seeking support for industrial action is expected to be completed within three weeks.

Refusal to accept the deal means the introduction of the new Metro service is now uncertain. David Bolton, the Transport and General Workers' Union's regional industrial officer, said: "The Metro system in a revised form could go ahead because we are very close to agreeing schedules for it.

"Whether or not that is with the new fleet as proposed is debatable because it was suggested that if we don't reach agreement on pay and conditions, it is very likely that the new fleet could be redirected elsewhere.

"We hope that these buses are not taken away."

First York is due to introduce nearly 100 state-of-the-art buses this year to provide a new high frequency, faster shuttle service through York.

The company's managing director, Brian Asquith, said: "We need to look at how this ballot decision impacts on where we want to go with the Metro.

"If we can get agreement on schedules, which seems to be fine, we could go ahead with the Metro, but I don't really know where we are going until we speak more closely with the union."

First York's drivers have rejected a number of offers from the management, claiming they want wages on parity with their colleagues in Leeds and Manchester.

Mr Bolton said: "This ballot is for strike action. It remains to be decided whether that will be all- out strike or action on selected days. I personally hope that we will resolve this without industrial action. It is not the object of the union to penalise the citizens of York, it's to get a quality wage structure and to run an even better bus service, and I hope we can sit down with the management and resolve this. I am glad that we are not doing this while school children are relying on the service, because we certainly do not want to penalise them."

Updated: 14:37 Friday, July 27, 2001