The long-running dispute between Go North East and its drivers has finally come to an end, as the union announced that its members have voted to accept a revised pay offer from the company. This means that the bus services across the North East will resume from Monday 4 December 2023, after almost two months of disruption.
The drivers, who are represented by Unite, had been on strike since 14 October 2023, demanding a 10.3% pay rise over two years. The company had initially offered a 2.5% increase for the first year and a 2.75% increase for the second year, which the union rejected as “insulting”. The strike affected almost all of Go North East’s services, except for some school and contracted services, leaving thousands of passengers stranded or forced to find alternative transport.
The union and the company had been in talks for several weeks, with the involvement of the conciliation service Acas, to try to reach a resolution. On 23 November 2023, the company made a new offer of a 3.5% increase for the first year and a 3.75% increase for the second year, which the union put to a ballot of its members. The result of the ballot was announced on 1 December 2023, with 57% of the drivers voting to accept the offer and 43% voting to reject it.
The union’s regional officer, Bob Bolam, said that the decision was not unanimous, but that the majority of the drivers wanted to end the dispute and return to work. He said: “This has been a difficult and protracted dispute, which has caused a lot of hardship and inconvenience to our members and the travelling public. We are pleased that we have reached a settlement that is acceptable to the majority of our drivers, and we hope that this will mark the start of a new and constructive relationship with Go North East.”
The managing director of Go North East, Martijn Gilbert, said that he was delighted that the strike was over, and that he looked forward to welcoming back the drivers and restoring the normal bus services. He said: “We are very sorry for the disruption that this strike has caused to our customers and communities, and we thank them for their patience and understanding. We are glad that we have reached a fair and affordable agreement with our drivers, and we are eager to get back to providing the high-quality and reliable bus services that the North East deserves.”
Go North East has published its Christmas and New Year timetable information, which will take effect from Monday 4 December 2023. The company has also announced that it will introduce cheaper tickets for young people aged 21 and under, as well as new services in North Tyneside, from Sunday 3 September 2023. For more information, visit Go North East’s website or follow [Go North East on Twitter].
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