Workers at bus manufacturer to strike over pay

Almost 400 workers at a bus manufacturer in North Yorkshire are to walk-out in a dispute over pay from

The members of Unite are employed by the Scottish firm Alexander Dennis at Eastfield, near Scarborough, and have rejected a 4% pay offer.

Unite said staff had been subject to years of "sub-par" pay increases and warned industrial action would shut down operations.

Alexander Dennis said its "very fair" pay offer was "above inflation" and said it was one of the "top-paying" employers in the area.

The union said 81% of members voted in favour of action and will walk-out between 25 June and 1 July.

Unite said the Retail Price Index (RPI), which measures consumer inflation, saw prices increase by about a third between August 2021 and May 2026, and previous pay rises at Alexander Dennis had not kept pace with rising costs.

That meant a "dramatic drop" in pay, the union's general secretary Sharon Graham said.

"They have had enough. Alexander Dennis needs to put forward a pay increase that reflects their loyalty, hard work and patience."

A spokesperson from Alexander Dennis said the sector was under "intense pressure" with rising costs and half of all new buses come from overseas.

"Against this backdrop it is incredibly disappointing that our offer has been rejected."

Unite regional officer Dan Stephen said Alexander Dennis still have time to avoid industrial action but added further strikes could be planned if the dispute is not resolved.

Alexander Dennis said it did not expect customer deliveries to be impacted from the industrial action.

Formed 130 years ago, Alexander Dennis are a bus manufacturer based in Lambert, Scotland who build London's red buses and Manchester's yellow 'Bee Network' buses.

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