18 Mar 2011

Stagecoach strike in the Forest of Dean

Stagecoach drivers from the Forest are striking today in protest at what they call poor working conditions and unreliable buses.
Around 20 drivers will picket the Berry Hill depot after repeated breakdowns on routes across the Dean. They claim many of the vehicles are no longer fit for use and have slammed the way they have been treated by company bosses.
Drivers across the county had considered industrial action over a pay increase of 1 per cent but have since backed down. But staff in the Forest say their stand is no longer about pay.
A driver, who did not want to be named, said: "It is not about pay anymore it's about working conditions and the state of the buses. "One bus broke down on Tuesday night and three the day before. It is just not acceptable." He said that Stagecoach West's managing director Ian Manning had told employees they could leave if they weren't happy.

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