Reader TTS

Unite condemn 'misleading' Stagecoach statement ahead of Ayrshire strikesUnite the Union has hit back after Stagecoach issued a statement this morning ahead of the second day of strike

action on Monday, June 2.Ayrshire LiveStephen Bark Ayrshire Live senior reporter16:25, 30 May 2025(Image: Getty Images) Unite the Union has condemned a "completely misleading" statement from

Stagecoach ahead of a second day of strike action by Ayrshire bus drivers next week.

Stagecoach had this morning, Friday, May 30, called for a meeting with Unite in an attempt to resolve the pay dispute which could decimate bus services in Ayrshire for six weeks this summer.

‌ In the statement, Stagecoach said that "above inflation" pay increases had been rejected - a claim Unite say is "completely misleading".

‌ Bus drivers at Stagecoach's Ardrossan, Arran, Ayr and Kilmarnock depots are due to walk out again on Monday after pay negotiations between Stagecoach and Unite broke down.

Speaking exclusively to Ayrshire Live, Siobhan McCready, Unite industrial officer, said drivers in Ayrshire would still be the lowest paid Stagecoach drivers in the UK if they had accepted

the pay increase.

Siobhan said: “The industrial action impacting Stagecoach West Scotland will go ahead because the company has repeatedly failed to substantively improve upon a basic four per cent pay offer.

Article continues belowDownload the Ayrshire Live app today The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the local news in your area – plus features, football news and the latest on the coronavirus crisis – at your fingertips 24/7.

The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories while you can customise your page with the sections that matter to you.

The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now on iOS and Android.

“It is completely misleading to say that the offers proposed are well above inflation. Any increase above the four per cent offer would be funded out of our members’ pockets by working

longer hours and giving up days of annual leave.

“The different variations which have been proposed by the company have all been emphatically rejected because of one simple fact which is the drivers would still be left as the worst paid

across the whole of Stagecoach’s UK operations. That is unacceptable.

‌ “The drivers do the same job as others whether that be in Ayrshire or Perthshire or Dundee and they should be treated with equal value and worth by Stagecoach.

“The door always remains open for negotiation but it must be based on an improved pay offer to the drivers.”

Pay negotiations between Unite and Stagecoach had restarted at the end of April after an initial wave of strikes across seven separate day in May was announced.

Article continues below Further strikes are planned for Monday, June 2 and Friday June 6 before a sustained six weeks of walkouts from Monday, June 9 and lasting until Monday, July 21.

Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter