Almost all Stagecoach bus services in Rotherham scrapped as drivers strike again over pay

BUS services are being severely disrupted again after drivers went on strike for the third time in just over a month.

More than 500 Stagecoach workers based in Rotherham, Sheffield and Barnsley are locked in a row with management over pay.

A picket line of Unite union members was in place at the firm’s Rawmarsh depot on today.

Stagecoach said in a statement that most services were not running, except for a few reduced services and dedicated school buses.

They added: “We have worked very hard to avoid this action and are extremely sorry for the disruption this will cause.”

The company posted a list of services which were running as normal on their website, with the 19/19A from Rotherham to Worksop being the only one in Rotherham.

Unite is lobbying for a rise of the drivers’ pay rate from £10.80 an hour to a minimum of £11.40.

Regional officer Phil Bown said when the indefinite strike was announced before Christmas: “Our members are the lowest paid in the region and are determined to end this pay injustice.”

Stagecoach’s most recent statement on December 15 called for the strike to be suspended, with Phil Medlicott, managing director for Stagecoach Yorkshire, saying: “We want to work together with the union to reach a solution.”

The Advertiser was referred back to this statement when we asked the firm for an updated comment this week.