The strike by Stagecoach drivers and other bus workers from Monday comes as Arriva bus drivers in West Yorkshire agreed to suspend strikes after a month of action and while talks continued to prevent more national rail strikes. Around 370 Unite members at Stagecoach in Merseyside are set to strike for eight days in July, while a ballot of 1,800 extra Arriva bus staff across the north west of England closes on Monday, in parallel disputes over pay. Unite warned there would be serious disruption but said there was “deep-seated anger” among its members over low pay. Its general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “Stagecoach is making money. Our members are making it clear that they will no longer accept being underpaid by this rich company.” Stagecoach said it had made an offer that would make its drivers, who are striking on July 4, 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 28 and 29, the highest paid on Merseyside. From Arriva’s drivers’ ballot in the North West, Graham said the company had failed to make a “realistic offer”, with RPI inflation now running at 11.1%. The company has now made an improved pay offer in West Yorkshire, where services will resume on Saturday after a four-week strike that stopped buses on most routes in the region. Meanwhile, train drivers for Great Anglia will stage a second 24-hour strike on Saturday, disrupting more than 90% of services on the network. Only limited trains will be running from Norwich, Colchester and Stansted Airports to London Liverpool Street. Members of the Aslef union have so far stayed out of the wider rail strike by the RMT which stopped much of the rail across Britain for a week at the end of June, although drivers at many operators have voted for industrial action . Talks were continuing between Network Rail, train operators and unions on issues such as labor reform, although no significant progress has been reported. Tim Shoveller, Network Rail’s chief negotiator, said there had been “constructive meetings” throughout the week and he was “cautiously optimistic”. He told the BBC that Network Rail was still looking to make the planned 1,800 job cuts through voluntary redundancies and “negotiations give me hope that this is possible”. TSSA union members at Avanti West Coast voted on Wednesday to strike, while the union continues to vote managers at Network Rail for industrial action. Labor shortages and inflation have increased industrial unrest in other sectors. Unite said there were discussions with British Airways after 500 staff at Heathrow voted to strike over pay. Wages were cut by 10% during the pandemic and while BA has offered an equivalent bonus payment for this year, the union wants to see wages restored. National Group officer Oliver Richardson said: “It’s never about a pay rise – it’s just about getting these workers’ wages back to their pre-pandemic levels.” Subscribe to the Business Today daily email or follow Guardian Business on Twitter @BusinessDesk The union-commissioned Survation poll said 73% of the public believed BA should refund wages, which were cut after the airline “laid off and rehired” staff when flights were grounded for months due to Covid. Meanwhile, additional strikes affecting Post Office collections and cash deliveries have been called this month. The Communications Workers Union announced on Friday that supply chain workers and managers will walk out on July 14, three days after 1,500 staff at Crown branches of the Post Office went on strike for 24 hours. The CWU said it was in response to a 3% pay offer following a pay freeze last year. Assistant Secretary Andy Furey said: “Everyone knows that the only solution is a fair pay rise that properly rewards members for their outstanding efforts in serving the public and delivering a profitable Post Office, while also taking into account the extreme cost of living.”
