Stagecoach staff were met with shouts of ‘scab’ from Liverpool picket lines as the company was accused of undermining strike action in the city.
Today is the first day of action for around 500 Liverpool bus drivers who have demonstrated outside the company’s Gillmoss depot on the East Lancashire Road.
Unite union members are seeking a pay rise that better reflects the hourly wages of other operators in the area, but Stagecoach said it submitted an offer that brought those rates significantly closer, while retaining more favorable working terms, conditions and benefits than others on offer.
MORE: Liverpool bus ‘total’ strike threatened as drivers take pay rise
MORE: Liverpool bus hits back after drivers reject better offer
This morning, as the strike began, the Stagecoach union was accused of “undermining” its members’ action by using managers based elsewhere in the country to come to Liverpool and drive buses.
Video footage taken of Gilmoss’ demonstration this morning shows a line of buses pulling out of the depot and being met with angry shouts of “scab” and other expressions from those taking the protest action. The video also shows Merseyside Police involved in temporarily closing the road to allow buses to leave the depot.
Unite regional officer Brian Troake said: “At around 5am several buses full of Stagecoach managers from around the country who were here to undermine and break the picket stopped.
“The stagecoach threw money at it, put them in hotels – instead of focusing on sitting down with their staff and sorting it out.”
He added: “When the buses left this morning they got a police escort as East Lancs Road was closed for them to leave which was disappointing.”
“Our members are out here exercising their democratic right to withdraw their work and instead of respecting that, Stagecoach is going the other way.”
Mr Toake added that he believed people in Liverpool “knew the score” and had chosen not to use buses that were in breach of strike action.
He added: “We’ve seen a number of these buses that have left which have been largely empty on the roads. We think the word has got out and the good people of Liverpool are boycotting them.”
Responding to the union’s claims, Matt Davies, chief executive of Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire, said: “Stagecoach today operates a limited specialist service staffed by volunteer managers and supervisors.
“Our service targets areas that would otherwise have no bus service and we also operate a shuttle service to Anfield Stadium in response to requests from the police and Liverpool City Region that this service be prioritized for public safety reasons. We respect the right to engage in protest events, but we also need to provide the best service we can to our communities.
“We deeply regret that industrial action is taking place in the collective, we are open to resolving this dispute and are available for negotiations at any time. We really want to settle the dispute, but the total cost of the wage increase must be available at the depot.” We have informed Unite of a number of ways in which we could resolve the dispute, which involve both parties moving and we are willing to do so.”
Today was the first of potentially several days of strike action affecting Stagecoach in Liverpool. The drivers will also go out tomorrow (Tuesday).
If no agreement is reached after these two days of action, the union intends to step things up next month with further walkouts proposed between July 5 and 8 and between July 12 and 15. an all-out strike unless an agreement was reached.
Speaking about the involvement of Merseyside Police, Superintendent Matthew Moscrop said: “Officers were on the East Lancs Road today directing traffic around the Gillmoss depot.
“Officers are monitoring the site to ensure the safety of the wider road network and minimize disruption to road users.”
The Liverpool Daily Post dives into the biggest stories on Merseyside