Suzy, Drinker Of Coffee

The Scotsman on yesterday's Lothian Buses strike

Travellers were forced to make alternative arrangements and city retailers were left counting the cost after 1,400 drivers with Lothian Buses stayed away from work.

With no sign of any agreement, there are fears a planned strike for the weekend of 30-31 July could hit business hard, affecting more than 300,000 daily passenger journeys in and around Edinburgh and the region.

Lothian Buses and the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU) last night remained split over the latest pay offer. Drivers have been offered a 5 per cent pay increase by management but are demanding a 6 per cent rise.

The TGWU said strike action was a last resort, while Lothian Buses said it regretted the disruption caused. A spokesman for the firm said: "Our door is open as we await the union visiting us."

Peter Williamson, the TGWU branch chairman, said: "It is a sad day that it has had to come to this, but we have made numerous attempts to sort the problem out before getting to this stage. Bus drivers are currently paid around £8.48 an hour. We are asking for £9 and we believe that is affordable."

The city centre was noticeably quieter than usual and some retailers saw losses of about 10 per cent.

Fiona Moriarty, the director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: "We hope this strike is resolved soon, as there are a lot of people who travel into city-centre shops by bus because they are cheap and convenient. People don't just come into town to shop; they also go for meals, pubs and to the cinema so there are many who will lose out over that weekend - it's of great concern."

It was a good day for cabbies as taxis enjoyed one of their busiest days of the year with some companies recording a 25 per cent increase in fares. Local train services also saw a rise in numbers. While there were more cars on the road in the morning rush-hour, delays were limited to about ten minutes on the worst roads - including the Forth Road Bridge and Telford Road.

From today, an overtime ban means Lothian Buses' services will now run on a Saturday timetable. Mr Williamson said the strike on 30-31 July would go ahead if the wage demands were not met.

City council officials said motorists had taken advantage of the suspended bus lane and parking charges in the city, put in place to alleviate problems. However, remaining bus companies which normally have exclusive use of the greenways urged the council to rethink plans to open them up to all motorists during the strikes.

Donald Anderson, the leader of the city council, said the move would be upheld on grounds that at least 85 per cent of buses on Edinburgh's streets were Lothian buses.

posted by Suzy Scott @ 19:42