Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has said the public services will run and interchanges will remain open “ahead of and during” industrial action scheduled from Thursday (December 12) to Sunday (December 15).
Unison and Unite unions announced the four-day strike yesterday. It is set to begin at 12.01am on Thursday and will continue until 11.59pm on Sunday, December 15.
Around 200 non-driving bus workers involved in ticketing, passenger assistance and information services will walk out.
There will be a further strike from Friday, December 20, until Monday 23. Strike action is set to escalate further unless an agreement is reached.
Transport will run during the strike, but TfGM has said certain services may be disrupted.
Customers might not be able to buy ticket products like weekly tickets or passes, it said, but people can still buy tickets on board, at machines and pay via contactless.
There will also be fewer staff at interchanges to help with travel information during the strike.
Bee Network’s website and social media may take longer to update, along with TfGM’s other channels.
It has said travellers can expect that:
- Some interchange facilities – such as toilets – may be closed.
- With Travelshops likely to close, there will be fewer staff members around to help passengers and provide journey information.
- The amount of time it takes to take bookings, respond to customer enquiries, and process concession applications may take longer than normal
- TravelSafe Support and Enforcement Officers would continue to work and be deployed to key locations as required.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) confirmed it has made revised and improved pay offers for its staff.
It said its latest pay offer to unions is weighted to deliver the largest pay rise to those who are paid the least, with those who earn the most would get the lowest uplift.
All staff would get a raise in their 2024/25 pay, with all continuing to be paid above the Real Living Wage – which currently equates to a full-time salary of £23,088.
The latest offer means anyone paid below £27,800 (around 17 per cent of TfGM staff) would get an average pay increase of between 8.2 per cent and 9.5 per cent.
Steve Warrener, managing director at TfGM, said: “The planned strikes do not affect drivers or any other bus or Metrolink staff. We’re reassuring passengers that their buses and trams will still run and we’ll keep Greater Manchester moving.
“While there will naturally be some changes for passengers – including limited access to toilets and fewer people to provide information on strike days – we’ll be doing all we can to ensure such inconveniences are minimised.
“We’re still talking to union representatives and our focus is on reaching agreement and avoiding any industrial action, which could still be called off should they choose.
“We recognise the need to support our hard-working colleagues facing cost of living pressures. But we also need to balance this with the challenging financial situation in the public sector.
“We feel it’s right we focus our attention on giving the biggest rises to those who are paid the least, that’s how we’ve structured our pay offers to the unions which have to date been rejected.”
Howard Percival, Unite the Union regional officer, said: “The strike action will cause serious disruption across public transport throughout Greater Manchester but TfGM has brought this dispute on themselves through its poverty pay rates.
“It is in TfGM’s hands to resolve this dispute it needs to return to the negotiating table with a realistic offer that addresses low pay for all the affected workers.”
