FURTHER strikes by bus drivers are set to go ahead this Sunday and three days next week after talks broke down.

Several hours of talks in Dorchester between First Dorset and the union Unite representing bus drivers at Weymouth and Bridport depots failed to reach a satisfactory agreement.

Unite claims First is digging its heels in over ‘poverty pay’ for its drivers and accused the company of "engaging in PR stunts with no intention of negotiating seriously".

First said managers met with union representatives to try and draw the industrial action to a conclusion, offering an array of different offers in a bid to resolve the dispute.

First said while talks were inconclusive, an offer of a 2.3% pay increase over two years (which would take the hourly rate for drivers to £9 hour and which would also be backdated to last year) remains on the table. The union has agreed to ballot its members on it.

First Dorset has also committed to make its offer (2.3% increase over two years) its minimum position at formal arbitration (meaning, subject to the arbitrator’s decision, the drivers would get at least this, if not more) however the union are still refusing to go to ACAS for a binding decision.

Marc Reddy, Managing Director for First Dorset, said: “My team and I met with union officials for six hours of talks on Thursday but we have not been able to reach a solution.

"The union are still demanding inflation busting pay increases, which cannot be sustained by our business. We have continued to make fair and reasonable offers, and have enhanced our position by confirming that we are prepared to go to formal arbitration with a guarantee that whatever the arbitrator decides, we’ll pay at least 2.3% over two years.”

Forthcoming strike dates are confirmed as: Sunday July 10, Wednesday July 13, Friday July 15 and Sunday, July 17.

On all these dates First intends to run, as it has previously, more than 90% of its normal services using managers and staff from other areas.

More than 110 drivers based at Weymouth and Bridport have been striking for three weeks in a dispute over ‘poverty pay’, which, according to the union "sees them being paid less than any other First Bus drivers in the whole of England".

Unite regional officer Bob Lanning said: “Unfortunately, these talks proved fruitless as it soon became apparent that the management was engaged in a PR exercise.

“Their opening spiel was that as our members had been on strike it was First Bus policy to make a reduced offer to our members, who are the lowest paid First Bus drivers in the whole of England. This was insulting.

“The management has been pleading poverty, even though last month First Group announced a £52 million profit for its UK-wide bus division.

“A company finance manager was present yesterday and we asked to see the figures to back up the claim that First Hampshire & Dorset is in dire financial straits.

“The finance manager was unable to access this information. Without sharing this information, we can’t really move forward with productive talks.

“This was a unsubtle PR stunt designed to put Unite in a bad light – it was not a genuine attempt to solve this eight month old dispute that is beginning to hit the tourism trade in Weymouth and Bridport.”

A driver, who did not wish to be named, said that Mr Reddy's claims First had enhanced their offer was not true and that they were actually being offered less than what they hadd been in the first place.

Earlier this week, the union made a plea for businesses to put pressure on to limit the damage to the tourism industry which injects more than £230 million a year into the Weymouth and Bridport economies, as well as supporting 6,300 jobs directly.

Bus services will run as follows:

Monday – Saturday (strike days)
·        Service 1 (Weymouth to Portland):  Operating around every 10 minutes from 07.00 until 19.00. Plus extra early morning journeys from Weymouth to Portland at 0510, 0603, 0623 and 0642, plus their returns back from Portland to Weymouth. Also late journeys to Portland from Weymouth at 2010, 2110, 2210, 2310, 0010
·        Service 2 (Weymouth to Park & Ride and Littlemoor):  Operating every 10 minutes from 07.00 until 19.00.
·        Service 3 (Weymouth to Westham): Operating every 30 minutes from 07.00 to 19.00.
·        Service 4/4A (Weymouth to Preston and Sutton Poyntz): Operating normal timetable from 07.00 until 17.00.
·        Service 8 (Weymouth to Chickerell):  Operating every 30 minutes from 07.00 to 19.00.
·        Service 10 (Weymouth to Dorchester and Poundbury): Normal weekday timetable including early morning journeys and evening journeys
·        Service 88 (Preston to Budmouth School): Normal service will operate.
·        Service X51 (Dorchester to Bridport and Axminster): Service will operate hourly between 07.00 and 19.00.
·        Service X53 (Weymouth to Bridport NOT to Axminster): The service will start at 07.46 and operate hourly from 09.36 until 15.36. Last bus at 18.30. Change at Bridport to the X51 for onward journeys to Axminster.
·        Service X54 (Weymouth, Wareham and Poole):  Only school journeys from Wareham to Lytchett Minster School will operate. Customers are advised to use South West Trains for journeys between Weymouth and Poole for all other journeys
·        Service X55: (Weymouth – Lulworth – Bovington):  Normal service will operate
·        Service 501 (Open top bus service between Weymouth to Portland Bill):  Normal weekday service
·        Service 502 (Lodmoor to Weymouth and Littlesea): Normal weekday service
·        Service 503 (Weymouth to Waterside Holiday Park):  Buses will operate every 30 minutes.
·        Service 743 (Wool – Purbeck School): Service will operate as normal.
·        Service 744 (Wool – Purbeck School): Service will operate as normal.

Buses not running (Monday – Saturday strike days)
·        Service 6 (Weymouth to Lanehouse and Sailing Academy): No service all week. Customers are advised to use Service 1 instead.
·        Service 14 (Portland to Weymouth and Thomas Hardye School): Service not operating. Students advised to use Service 1 and 10 instead.
·        Service 53 (Bridport to Beaminster): Service will not operate
·        Service 91 (Wyke Regis to Wey Valley School):  Service will not operate. Students should use local services instead.
·        Service X52 (Bridport/Lyme Regis to Exeter):  Service will not operate. Customers wanting to travel to Exeter can catch a X51 service to Axminster Railway Station and take a train from there.
·        Service X54 (Weymouth, Wareham and Poole):  No service apart from school journeys from Wareham to Lytchett Minster School which will still operate. Customers are advised to use South West Trains for journeys between Weymouth and Poole

Sundays (strike days)

  • Service 1 (Weymouth to Portland):  Operating approximately every 15 minutes from 07.30; the last bus will leave Portland Ripcroft at 19.22 arriving at Weymouth Kings Statue at 20.00.
  • Service 2 (Weymouth to Littlemoor): operating approximately every 15 minutes from 08.31; the last bus will leave Weymouth Kings Statue at 18.55 arriving in Littlemoor at 19.11.
  • Service 3 (Weymouth to Westham): operating every 30 minutes between 08.56 and 18.10.
  • Service 4 (Weymouth to Preston): operating every half an hour between 08.40 and 19.03.
  • Service 8 (Weymouth to Chickerell): operating approximately every 30 minutes between 08.17 and 18.44.
  • Service 10 (Weymouth to Dorchester): operating every 30 minutes between 07.55; the last bus will leave Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester at 18.40.
  • Service X51 (Dorchester – Bridport – Axminster): operating from Bridport starting 8.24 and Dorchester at 09.15, the last service will leave Axminster at 18.00 arriving at Dorchester at 19.40.
  • Service X53 (Weymouth – Bridport): operating approximately every 60 minutes from 08.39, the last service arriving at Weymouth at 19.23.
  • Service X55 (Littlesea – Weymouth- Lulworth – Wool – Bovington Tank Museum): operating from Littlesea at 09.00 and 12.00, the last bus from the Tank Museum will leave at 16.50.
  • Service 501 (open top service between Weymouth and Portland Bill): operating every two hours, the last bus will leave Portland Bill at 18.35.
  • Service 502 (Weymouth – Littlesea Haven Holiday Centre): operating every hour from 08.55, the last bus will leave Littlesea at 18.50.
  • Service 503 (Weymouth – Waterside Holiday Park): operating every 30 minutes from 09.00, the last bus arriving at Weymouth at 18.56.


Buses that won’t run on Sundays (strike days)
·        Service X52 (Bridport/Lyme Regis to Exeter):  Customers wanting to travel to Exeter can catch a X51 service to Axminster Railway Station and take a train from there.
·        Service X54 (Weymouth, Wareham and Poole):  Customers are advised to use South West Trains for journeys between Weymouth and Poole

First Dorset is also doing what it can to support the popular Pommery Dorset Seafood Festival this weekend by running:

·        normal bus services on Saturday, including Saturday night (with the last journey on Service 1 between Weymouth and Portland departing at 03.30 hours on Sunday morning).
·        Extra buses between Weymouth Park & Ride in Mercery Road and Weymouth town centre, during the day across the whole weekend
·        Service 2 buses every 15 minutes on Sunday, the last journey leaving Weymouth at 18.55 hours. These buses link Weymouth and Littlemoor and also call at the Park & Ride site.

Between strike days, bus services will operate as normal. All timetables (including those for strike dates) can be found on the First Dorset website, www.firstgroup.com/dorset.

Customers wanting more information about the services running during the industrial action can contact First Bus’ Customer Services Team, email ContactDorset@firstgroup.com or telephone 0345 6020121.

Regular updates will also be available on First Dorset’s social media channels, facebook.com/firstindorset and twitter.com/firstdorset