City Bus Drivers Vote To Strike Over Pay

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Chloe AslettYorkshire


Bus services in Doncaster are because of be interrupted after more than 230 chauffeurs voted to take commercial action over pay.


First Bus chauffeurs in the city will go on strike on 28 and 30 March, and 7, 22 and 24 April after turning down a deal which did not offer them pay parity with colleagues in Sheffield, the Unite union said.


secretary Sharon Graham stated the business could manage to pay its chauffeurs in Doncaster the same amount and was "choosing to put earnings over individuals".


Zoe Hands, managing director of First Bus in the area, said the offer of a 7% increase backdated to January 2026 was "amongst the best driver pay deals this year".


"We are very disappointed and saddened at the decision to go ahead with strikes," she said, including that the business "acknowledged the strength of feeling" on the issue.


"We remain committed to working constructively with Union agents to reach a fair and sustainable agreement," Hands said.


"Our door remains open up to continue conversations and prevent unneeded industrial action."


'Unfair circumstance'


The Unite members included in the dispute work at the Doncaster Bus Depot on Leger Way, which operates numerous routes affecting the city centre.


The dates clash with the Easter holidays and events at Doncaster Racecourse including the opener of the British flat racing season, the William Hill Lincoln Handicap.


Regional officer Christian Ratcliffe said: "Unite members in Doncaster must not be economically punished for working a few miles down the road.


"This unjust circumstance can't continue and Unite is requiring First Bus treats its hard-working motorists fairly."


Unite said FirstGroup was "extremely successful", with revenues of ₤ 833.6 m for the 6 months to September 2025, and could pay for to meet the strikers' needs.


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