Strike To Go On?

Bus drivers have warned they’ll stage a further 20 days of strike action unless a deal is reached with the Department of Infrastructure.

The current 10-day walkout is now at the halfway mark, with drivers out since Saturday and reduced services running across the island.

If no agreement is struck, more strikes are planned throughout March.

Further strike action is scheduled to take place from March 6 to March 10, March 13 to March 17, March 20 to March 24 and March 27 to March 31.

The DoI says drivers received a 3% pay rise this year and that six pay offers have been made, while Unite insists the latest proposal ‘is weaker than the position discussed last week’ and ‘does not deal with the core issues’.

The dispute centres on what the union calls ‘fair, consolidated and pensionable pay’, and with talks ongoing, there’s still no clear end in sight.