Bus drivers issued 'final offer' amid pay dispute

A "final offer" has been put to bus drivers on the Isle of Man amid a dispute over pay and conditions, The Chief Minister has told the House of Keys.

Alfred Cannan said the Department of Infrastructure (DoI) had issued a seventh offer to bus drivers last week, which was overwhelmingly voted down by Unite members, and an eighth offer was issued on Monday night.

It comes after bus drivers staged a ten-day walk out at the end of February, followed by four day strikes each weekend in March.

Debbie Halsall from Unite confirmed to the BBC that members would be balloted on the latest offer on Wednesday and said "constructive dialogue had taken place."

In the House of Keys, Cannan said he was "hopeful" that negotiations would be resolved this week, but noted that if it was not successful, the government would need to consider what contingency plans should be brought forward, in particular ahead of TT.

MHK Jason Moorhouse said that an informal ballot of unite members last week saw 91% of drivers vote against the seventh pay offer.

He questioned whether the Chief Minister was concerned about a lack of progress with the dispute, as well as over a lack of face to face meetings between Unite and the DoI.

And Rob Callister said he was "concerned" that the latest offer was being described as the government's "final offer".

Cannan said the offer put forward last week "represented a significant increase in pay per bus driver annually and harmonised pay across all drivers."

He said there "appeared to be some progress overnight," but added "I do not want to directly involve myself in industrial action that appears to be moving towards a resolution."

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