Disruption for buses despite new pay offer

ALTHOUGH 2,000 STAFF SUSPENDED STRIKES METROLINE BUSES WILL STILL BE GROUNDED AFTER 8.8% PROPOSAL

- By BETHAN FINIGHAN

STRIKE action by around 1,000 workers at Metroline Manchester will go ahead from today after talks broke down.

More than 2,000 workers who are part of Unite the Union were due to take three days of industrial action from today until Thursday.

However, it was announced on Sunday that several Bee Network bus services which were due to be grounded by strike action will now run as normal.

Unite the Union has issued a further statement, confirming that four Greater Manchester depots - Sharston, Hyde Road, Ashton and Wythenshawe - will still walk out from tomorrow until Thursday, causing major disruption to services in the area.

It comes amid a row over pay affecting workers at Stagecoach Manchester, First Bus Rochdale and Metroline Manchester, which are three of the companies that run Bee Network services under the franchising system launched two years ago.