UPDATED: FIFTH week for bus driver strike action

First Dorset said the Unite union has refused to meet for formal arbitration and had confirmed further dates for industrial action.

Drivers at Weymouth and Bridport depots are involved.Several hours of talks last week failed to reach an agreement.

The bus company said 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.

First Dorset has also committed to make the 2.3% offer 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.

The union says Weymouth and Bridport drivers are given 'poverty pay' and are the lowest paid First bus drivers in England.

It argues that First Group is a very profitable UK company that should be able to afford an increased pay offer and at least put the drivers on the same rate as colleagues in Yeovil.

Unite regional officer Bob Lanning said: “The management has been pleading poverty, even though last month First Group announced a £52 million profit for its UK-wide bus division."

Last 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.

Existing strike dates are confirmed as tomorrow (Weds) as well as Friday and Sunday of thsi week.

The union has confirmed new strike dates as follows: Monday 18 July, Wednesday 20 July, Friday 22 July, Saturday 23 July, Sunday 24 July.

Marc Reddy, Managing Director for First Dorset, said: “I’m concerned that Union officials are misguiding many of our drivers. Against the current economic backdrop, a minimum pay rise of 2.3% is a fair deal. Indeed, many of our customers will have had to absorb pay freezes, pay cuts and even redundancy in recent years and will not understand how the union can demand an inflation busting pay increase, which as a business we simply cannot afford. Unite's thoughtless and irresponsible actions are potentially risking jobs in the business and the wider economy.

“Despite the unnecessary strike action, I am extremely pleased that throughout this period we have operated more than 90% of services. I can assure our customers that this level of service will continue, despite the Union’s apparent determination to disrupt bus services and harm the local economy.

“I’d once again encourage union officials to meet with me for formal arbitration so that we can bring this dispute to an end and spare our customers and stakeholders any further inconvenience.”

Arbitration is a process whereby an impartial arbitrator (independently appointed by ACAS) is asked to make a decision on a dispute. The arbitrator makes a firm decision on a case based on the evidence presented by both parties.

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

To summarise, 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 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