Further city bus strikes a last resort, says union

Bus drivers and engineers in Cambridge have vowed to continue their strike action after further talks broke down, their union representative has said.

Unite says about 200 workers took action over the Christmas period in a dispute over pay.

Unite regional representative Mark Plumb, speaking at the picket line in Cowley Road earlier, said further action would take place in January after rejecting a second pay offer.

Stagecoach East said the striking workers' "expectation of a 9% pay award, when inflation is currently 3.2%, is simply unachievable".

The union said its members wanted "a pay increase that reflects extremely difficult demands of the job and the rising cost of living".

More strikes are planned for 10, 19 and 24 January.

Plumb said: "We've had a number of talks with the employer in the back end of 2025 leading up to today.

"Unfortunately those talks have broken down."

He said Stagecoach had "imposed" a pay award on the drivers following talks between the union and employer between Christmas and new year.

Workers were unhappy with the offer which he said was "much lower than what their aspiration is".

Plumb said Unite's Cambridge members had "an aspiration to achieve an above-inflation pay award" which would be £17 an hour.

Stagecoach said that over the past three years, the Cambridge employees had received 20% pay salary increases, despite inflation averaging at under 14% over the same period.

Plumb agreed members had "received inflation-plus increases" in the past, but he pointed out that staff had "contributed to, and continue to contribute to" the company's profits.

He said he appreciated there was disruption for bus users, but that it was "a last resort for us and our members" and hoped the public would be supportive.

Darren Roe, managing director of Stagecoach East, said: "Unfortunately, we have failed to reach a negotiated settlement with the current pay dispute with our Cambridge team.

"Their expectation of a 9% pay award, when inflation is currently 3.2%, is simply unachievable."

He said pay proposals above the rate of inflation had been offered but rejected, although "during this time [we] have successfully negotiated pay settlements with our Fenstanton and Peterborough teams".

He apologised to customers for the disruption and said additional drivers from elsewhere in England were being brought in "to support our own teams".

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