UK : Dorset bus drivers strike in protest at poverty pay
BUS drivers in the Dorset towns of Weymouth and Bridport are on strike this week over poverty pay, their union said yesterday.
The 110 drivers say they have been buoyed up
by “phenomenal” public support.
Claims by their employer First Hampshire and Dorset that the drivers refuse to accept arbitration are “absolute lies,” said the Unite union, which represents the workers.
Unite regional officer Bob Lanning thanked local people for their “unswerving support” of the strikers.
“Our members could not have continued without that strong groundswell of support from the community in which they live,” Mr Lanning said.
On strike days the firm has docked sick pay from cancer sufferers and workers with serious heart conditions.
Unite says the dispute would cost just £48,000 a year to settle, while losses caused by the action are already £250,000 and could reach £500,000.
A further week-long strike starts at 4.30am next Monday.