Unite the Union has claimed the Department of Infrastructure (DoI) and Bus Vannin ‘won’t sit down and talk to us’ as the island enters its seventh day of ongoing bus strike action.
Members of Unite remain locked in a dispute with the DoI over pay and proposed changes to terms and conditions, following months of negotiations between the two sides.
The industrial action began on Saturday and has involved all ‘big bus’ drivers, resulting in a significantly reduced service across the island.
Three picket lines were established at the main depots in Ramsey, Douglas and Port Erin, with the first picketers arriving at 4am on the opening day.
According to the union, members have been manning the lines on a rotational basis.
On Wednesday, Isle of Man Today revealed that drivers will stage a further 20 days of strike action unless an agreement is reached.
The DoI subsequently confirmed that if no deal is secured, additional walkouts are scheduled for March 6 to 10, March 13 to 17, March 20 to 24 and March 27 to 31.
However, Unite’s regional coordinating officer Debbie Halsall told Isle of Man Today on Friday that the government has ‘brought the island to its knees’ and criticised the timing of the department’s announcement of the further strike dates.
She said the union has not been contacted by the DoI to resolve the dispute and claimed the department and Bus Vannin now ‘won’t sit down and talk to us’.
In a statement earlier this week, the DoI said that in this year’s pay settlement bus drivers received a 3% pay increase.
It added that following that agreement, Unite had sought changes to drivers’ terms and conditions which would have the effect of significantly increasing pay.
The department also stated that the average Bus Vannin driver has a median salary of £36,000 per year.
That figure has been challenged by the Isle of Man Trades Union Council (TUC), which said it does not tell the full story.
‘Headlines grab attention. That’s their job,’ the council said. ‘But a headline figure isn’t a guaranteed rate. It isn’t consolidated pay. It isn’t what every driver actually earns. And let’s be clear, the average being quoted is pre-tax. It is not take-home pay.’
The TUC said the dispute is about ‘fairness and parity across the board’ and pointed to the department’s senior salary structure, noting that the Head of Operations Public Transport role sits between £76,761 and £89,480, with senior leadership roles extending into six-figure salaries. It said those figures are published and structured, and drivers are seeking similar clarity and consistency.
Concerns have also been raised about fatigue management under the contingency timetable.
Friday’s schedule shows services running from 7.05am to 8.15pm.
Unite has claimed that only four drivers are operating services, questioning how duties are being assessed in what it describes as a safety-critical public service.
The DoI has insisted Bus Vannin continues to provide a ‘compliant and safe’ service and thanked those delivering the contingency timetable while Unite members remain on strike.
The department said negotiations are continuing with the support of the Manx Industrial Relations Service and stressed that it must ensure ‘good value on behalf of the taxpaying public, whilst ensuring fair salary is on offer to bus drivers’. It noted that the Bus Vannin service is subsidised by around £7 million per year.
Contingency timetables have been in place throughout the strike, with the department maintaining some core services to Noble’s Hospital and key routes between the towns and Douglas.
Reports from government departments and emergency services have indicated no significant issues, according to the Minister for Infrastructure Tim Crookall MHK, although additional traffic has been reported around schools.