SOME bus drivers and engineers could go on strike in Merthyr Tydfil on the first day of the new school term.

The GMB trade union said its members would take industrial action on September 6 over a pay dispute.

They allege the Stagecoach bus company is paying its workers in the firm's Merthyr depot less than their colleagues in Porth.

The union said its Merthyr members had "voted overwhelmingly for strike action" over the pay dispute, and the September 6 walkout "could see the county borough grind to a halt, as drivers refuse to work on what is traditionally one of the busiest weeks of the year".

Affected staff are being paid "around a pound an hour less" than Stagecoach workers in Porth, the union alleges.

“Ask yourself; if you were paid a pound an hour less for doing the same job as your colleague, you’d be pretty annoyed wouldn’t you?" GMB organiser Gareth Morgan said. "This situation has gone on for years." 

“The strike laws the way they are means that the first date we can take action is in September, so unfortunately thats the way it’s worked out."

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Mr Morgan said "it's not too late" for the dispute to be resolved, and GMB will be meeting with Stagecoach on Friday.

"We’re hopeful they’ll put an offer on the table that will avoid this chaos, but the ball is very much in their court," he added.

A spokesperson for Stagecoach South Wales said the firm was "disappointed" the union was preparing to strike "particularly when bus networks are requiring taxpayer support as a result of the pandemic and the focus should be on protecting the long-term sustainability of services for the local community".

They said Stagecoach offered "good packages for our people that reflect the local economic conditions, the varying costs of running services and the level of passenger journeys" and the GMB claims are "misleading".

But like the union, Stagecoach is optimistic the dispute can be resolved over the negotiating table and remains "open to continuing discussions" with GMB.

This article originally appeared on our sister site The National.