Stop the cuts! Ask Stagecoach to give drivers the wages they need to run our network.

Last week, Stagecoach announced well over 100 axed services, blaming a 'driver shortage.'

South Yorkshire's bus drivers kept the wheels turning during the pandemic (in very difficult circumstances) but rather than reward them, Stagecoach has offered them a real-terms pay cut. That's despite making profits touching £60m last year!

Be in no doubt: Stagecoach wants to divide passengers and drivers. Please write in support of our striking drivers to demand Stagecoach pay up. Only then, when drivers have stopped leaving the industry, will we be able to get the frequent services we deserve.

Stagecoach Yorkshire Head Office

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I am very frustrated to hear that you have chosen to offer your South Yorkshire bus drivers a pay cut in real terms this year. The county’s drivers have kept many of us going over the last year in very challenging circumstances - getting other key workers into shops, hospitals, and schools. Rightly, our bus drivers were celebrated for their role during the pandemic. However, now that the time has come to thank them, you are failing to deliver. Your initial offer of just a <a href="https://www.unitetheunion.org/news-events/news/2021/november/stagecoach-poverty-pay-offer-forces-south-yorkshire-bus-drivers-to-strike/?fbclid=IwAR0m9wt1uOkehqcxiTY1ri9y5zEmaCdqg56kfLSfsvuFl02WJ3FIt_gVx2w">2% increase was a joke</a>. Your more recent offer of <a href="https://www.thestar.co.uk/business/consumer/stagecoach-strike-sheffield-seven-day-bus-strike-to-start-on-sunday-confirms-unite-union-3470434">4.5% would still be a real-terms cut</a>, leaving drivers poorer next year. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has informed employers that workers need a <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/11/17/inflation-jumps-highest-level-decade-energy-bills-soar/">pay rise of 7%</a> to keep their heads above water. Nationally, Stagecoach made profits touching £60m last year and you have £875m in the bank! As a passenger, I am shocked that you would prioritise your own short-term profits over delivering a decent service. You have just announced well over 100 cuts to local services, blaming a driver shortage. Drivers will continue to leave, with poor recruitment, if their pay is constantly shrinking in real-terms. While the current strike action is a short-term inconvenience, if that is what it takes for you to pay drivers the wages needed to retain and recruit enough staff to run the services my community deserve, I am glad our drivers are taking this action. I give my full support to our striking drivers. I hope you will reconsider your decision and give South Yorkshire’s drivers the real-terms pay rise (similar to those Stagecoach has given in other regions such as <a href="https://www.thestar.co.uk/business/consumer/stagecoach-strike-sheffield-seven-day-bus-strike-to-start-on-sunday-confirms-unite-union-3470434">10.5% in some areas</a>) they deserve.

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