The first week of indefinite strike action by Unite members working for Arriva Yorkshire, has meant no bus services from the company have run at all, with the strike solid across all five depots. It culminated with the dispute featuring as the opener to a Newsnight special on the potential summer strike wave over pay.
Socialist Party members have visited all the depots to support the strike. Oisin Duncan said workers in Dewsbury were angry with Arriva’s failure to protect drivers from abuse, insulting pay offers, and their lies published in the press.
Solidarity has flooded in with donations of food and drink, including pizzas for strikers at the Wakefield picket line donated by taxi drivers, who themselves struck just a few months ago. Pickets told Iain Dalton that they’d seen lots of NHS workers in uniform tooting in support as they passed by.
Bakers’ union BFAWU general secretary Sarah Woolley visited the picket line on her way home from the union’s conference. Unite branch chair and Socialist Party member Tanis Belsham-Wray reported that after visiting the Castleford picket line, her branch committee had agreed that they would recommend donations to the strike funds of all five depots by the time she’d travelled the 20 minutes to visit the Wakefield picket line.
Paul Thomas reported that at Heckmondwike the mood is strong, with anger at the way the company is putting out messages that make it look like they had been offered 12%. As one picket said: “If we’d been offered that we’d probably be back at work.”
The workers have rightly been holding out for a pay rise for all workers of at least 10% which would keep up with the rate of inflation. Their determination has led to Arriva agreeing to talks, to take place on 15 June. Rightly, Unite will be continuing the strike action until they get an offer that meets their members’ expectations.
