Go North West bus drivers’ strike ends

Number 17 bus at Rochdale bus station, a Go North West service

Bus drivers at Go North West in Manchester have agreed a deal which will end a long-running industrial dispute.

The deal was presented to a mass meeting of the drivers, members of the UK's leading union, Unite, held on Monday (17 May) at the company’s Queens Road depot. 

This was followed by a workplace ballot where the union's members voted overwhelmingly to accept the negotiated agreement bringing to a close the strike which began on Sunday 28 February.

Unite says Go North West has agreed to its demand that it will 'never use fire and rehire in any form' and that pay and conditions will be safeguarded for thousands across the group.
 

Read more: Bus services affected by Go North West strikePublished: 26 February 2021

Nigel Featham, Managing Director, Go North West, said: “We are pleased to confirm the end of all industrial action at the Queens Road depot in Manchester.

“A new collective agreement has been reached. This positive outcome for the depot, its employees and stakeholders follows a period of intense and productive negotiations between senior representatives of Go-Ahead and Unite.

“The deal agreed enables the introduction of revised working practices under a new Collective Agreement providing a solid foundation on which to build a sustainable future for the depot.

“Go North West now looks forward to building a positive working environment for all colleagues at Queens Road and continuing to improve services for our customers and communities.”

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: “This is a tremendous victory by Unite’s members at Go North West who through their dedication, solidarity and commitment have defeated the attempt to fire and rehire them.  

“I pay tribute to them, sustaining a strike during the challenge of lockdown, and thank this incredible community for their brilliant support through these long weeks which definitely helped keep heads held high.

"We're also delighted to have secured a clear commitment from the Go Ahead Group that fire and rehire will never be used by them, bringing relief to thousands of workers who feared that they were next.”