Metrolink strikes confirmed for July

Members of Unite the Union are set to strike for three days between Thursday 25^th and Saturday 27^th July over what the union call a woeful pay offer and anger over the unfairness of the overall pay structure.

Unite represent over 600 staff at Metrolink and a recent ballot saw them vote in favour of going on strike in order to show KeolisAmey Metrolink that they are not happy with the offer being made. The woeful pay offer they are angry over is 4.5% for 2024 following several years of below inflation rises. They want the promise of above inflation increases for the next few years and a reduction in the pay progression scales within both the drivers and customer service roles.

Currently drivers have to wait four years to get to the top of their pay scales and this can lead them to losing up to £15,000 despite the fact they are doing the same job as colleagues.

The strike will start on Thursday 25^th July and continue through until Saturday 27^th July. During this period nearly 200,000 visitors are expected in Manchester with various events taking place around the city centre including Peter Kay concerts, UFC 304 and Manchester’s City Centre Day.

As is usual with the union press release’s they put the blame firmly at the door of KeolisAmey Metrolink who are part of major multinational companies with Keolis earning billions of euros in revenue and Amey generating large profits each year.

Colin Hayden, Unite regional officer, said: “This dispute is entirely the making of Metrolink and their parent companies. They can easily afford to pay our members a decent salary after years of real terms pay cuts. Our members voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action which shows the level of anger and frustration. I urge Metrolink, their parent companies and TfGM to come back with an improved offer rather than continue to demonstrate how little they value their own staff and the communities of Greater Manchester with the current woeful pay offer.”

Damian Chabas, Managing Director of KeolisAmey Metrolink, said after they were informed of the strikes: “We have been notified of the outcome of the ballot and planned strike days, and while we are disappointed pay talks have so far been unsuccessful, we remain committed to meaningful discussions with Unite. We strongly believe our offer through to 2026 provides stability to our employees, security against inflation increases, and is a fair deal, with this year’s offer being an above inflation increase. There was also an offer of £0.5m investment to address the historical pay structure raised by Unite, however this was rejected by them.

“We have a positive track record of fair pay negotiations because we care about our people. Since the start of the current contract in 2017 our employees have received total cumulative pay increases of more than 30%, with some employees receiving over 38%. Last year was an exceptional year for inflation, yet our employees still received a pay increase of 6.5% plus a £1,000 one off payment, amounting to an approximate 9% increase.

“We remain committed to further discussions to resolve this pay issue, protect jobs and ensure the long-term financial sustainability of Metrolink.”