Expected bus service disruption due to strike action from Wednesday 20th July 2022

Arriva North West buses has expressed disappointment as it confirms that Unions have informed the company of their intention to strike from 02:00 on Wednesday 20th July.

During this industrial action there will be no planned Arriva bus services operating within Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire or Cheshire, except for local Macclesfield services which will all run with the exception of service 38. 

Arriva customers with pre-paid tickets travelling in Cheshire will be able to use them on buses operated by D&G Buses,  for service details visit:  for service details visit:

https://www.dgbus.co.uk/

Our Wales services and services running out of Chester depot and into Chester from Wrexham and Rhyl are unaffected and will continue to operate.

Arriva urges all customers to check one of the following outlets before travelling:

• Arriva on Twitter @arrivanorthwest and Facebook @northwestarriva for further information about the services relating to the strike dates.
• Phone enquiries about local bus service and tickets to Arriva customer services on 0344 800 44 11.

Howard Farrall, North West & Wales Area Operating Director for Arriva UK Bus commented:

We are very disappointed that we were unable to reach an agreement with Unite and GMB, who have confirmed they plan to hold a strike for an indefinite period across services in the North West from 02.00 Wednesday 20^th July.

Our people play a hugely important role keeping communities moving and they fully deserve a fair pay rise – especially with the cost-of-living increasing so much. 

It’s why despite the significant pressures on the bus sector with increasing costs and passenger numbers still at below pre-pandemic levels, we have offered our people a generous pay rise of 8.5% - an increase far higher than most workers are receiving from their employers at a time of considerable economic pressure. Furthermore, we have tabled this offer during a time of significant focus on sustainability of our networks in partnership with our local public transport authorities, to ensure that Arriva continues to deliver and manage a viable bus network across the Region reflecting post-pandemic passenger trends.

It isn’t right that the Unions wouldn’t put this latest offer to their own members and allow them to exercise their democratic right to vote. The mandate for strikes arose from a ballot of Unite and GMB members on a previous pay offer, meaning strikes are continuing without the improved proposal being put to employees by the Unions

Strike action is counter-productive, harms the communities and customers we serve, and damages bus travel at a time when we should all be focused on building recovery from the pandemic.  We’re calling on Unite & GMB to abandon their plans for this damaging strike and to ballot their members on the new offer.”

*All local Macclesfield services will run with the exception of service 38.  Services running out of Chester depot and into Chester from Wrexham and Rhyl are unaffected and will continue to operate.  The special Liverpool Clatterbridge Hospital Shuttle service will also continue to operate during this time.

Arriva is a leading provider of passenger transport across Europe, employing around 40,000 people and delivering around 1.2 billion passenger journeys across 13 European countries.

We are part of Deutsche Bahn (DB), one of the world’s leading passenger and logistics companies. With buses, trains, coaches, trams, waterbuses, car and bike-sharing systems, as well as on-demand transport solutions, Arriva proudly connects people and communities safely, reliably and sustainably, delivering these services in a better way, every day.

The activities of Arriva are divided into four lines of business: UK Bus, UK Trains, The Netherlands and Mainland Europe.  Arriva has operations in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom. 

For further information:

http://www.arriva.co.uk