Arriva bus drivers in Greater Manchester and across the North West are to begin strike action today over pay disputes.
Bus passengers throughout the region are being warned to expect disruption as the majority of the company’s buses will not be running starting from today (20 July), when members of the Unite and GMB unions begin striking for an “indefinite period” of time.
After staff were said to have been in negotiations with the company over pay for the past three months, 96% of union members voted for strike action, and from today, more than 1,800 Arriva workers in Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and Merseyside will not go to work.
Despite the three-month negotiations, and Arriva having already offered workers a pay rise of 8.5%, GMB union says this offer had “not met inflation rates”.
Arriva now wants union members to vote on this latest pay offer.
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Members of the Unite and GMB unions are striking for an “indefinite period” of time / Credit: Arriva UK
“No worker should be struggling to cover their bills, but in the face of a cost of living crisis, Arriva needs to get real on its pay offers,” said Robbie Marnell, Regional Organiser at GMB Union.
“Hopefully the company will listen and get back around the table with a fair offer.”
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Howard Farrall – Operating Director at Arriva UK’s North West & Wales Area – said strike action is “counter-productive” in response, and claims it “harms the communities and customers we serve, and damages bus travel at a time when we should all be focused on building recovery from the pandemic.”
— Arriva North West (@arrivanorthwest) July 19, 2022
He called on Unite and GMB to abandon plans for “this damaging strike” and to “ballot their members on the new offer.”
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Arriva customers with pre-paid tickets travelling in Cheshire will be able to use them on buses operated by D&G Buses, and services running out of the Chester depot, and into Chester from Wrexham and Rhyl, are unaffected and will continue to operate.
Bus services by other operators are also expected to be running as normal in Greater Manchester.
Met Office gives verdict on how Storm Boelo aftermath will affect Greater Manchester this week
Emily Sergeant
Storm Boelo is finally on his way out, and now the Met Office has given its verdict on what we can expect from the rest of the week.
In the aftermath of two successive storms, Storm Austen followed by Storm Boelo – the latter of which affected Greater Manchester – the UK is now able to begin recovering from the effects of the adverse weather.
But the Met Office has warned that, although there is no named storm, strong winds and heavy rain will continue to affect parts of the UK early this week, before high pressure brings calmer conditions.
Yellow national severe weather warnings are in place for parts of Scotland and western areas of the UK today (Tuesday 27 October), including areas of the North West, as gales and spells of rain bring the potential for ongoing disruption around the region, particularly on exposed coasts and higher ground.
“The continued winds could hamper recovery efforts in some places,” forecasters also unfortunately confirmed.
⚠️ Strong winds and heavy rain continue across parts of the UK early this week with a yellow weather warning in place, before high pressure brings calmer conditions for many from Wednesday ⛅
Read our news release to find out more 👇
https://t.co/EQU4vvaA3B https://t.co/hpvTd8v7EZ
As rest of the week pans out though, conditions will begin to settle down and showers are expected to become ‘less frequent’, while winds also ease for most, although gales could continue for a time in the far north.
Thursday is expected be ‘largely dry’ with lighter winds and variable cloud, with a touch of mist and fog likely across parts of England and Wales during the morning.
From Friday and into the weekend, light rain will team up to potentially affect northwestern areas of England, but for the most part, temperatures are expected to remain close to, or slightly above, average for the time of year.
“From Wednesday, high pressure will start to build which will ease the winds and bring a quieter and largely drier end to the week for many, although some rain is still possible in the North and West,” explained Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster, Steven Keates.
“However, with wind warnings in place, those in warnings areas, particularly in northern Scotland and western high ground, continue to be exposed to strong winds and heavy rain before the more settled weather arrives.”
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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Popular pumpkin patch attraction describes ‘catastrophic’ impact of Storm Boelo
Daisy Jackson
Bates Farm, one of the most popular pumpkin patch attractions in the North West, has shared its heartbreak after Storm Boelo forced its closure on the busiest day of the season.
The Warrington-based family farm said the financial impact has been ‘honestly catastrophic’, after they had to cancel all tickets for Sunday.
Sisters Ali and Fiona Wilshaw, who run the farm, said it was simply not safe to allow members of the public onto the farm in the storm, with ‘crazy’ gusts of wind.
They later shared a video that showed their marquee was badly damaged and many footpaths turned to deep mud.
The sisters said they were ‘heartbroken’ to have to close at such a busy time, but stressed to followers that ‘your safety and our integrity will always come first’.
On Saturday, as Storm Austen and Storm Boelo chased each other across the UK, several people shared videos of themselves getting battered by the weather at Bates Farm.
And it’s pretty clear from that why Ali and Fi decided to cancel all tickets and close for the day on Sunday.
They wrote: “We have put in so much love, energy and investment putting on this event at this scale. The cost to cancel and refund everyone today on our busiest day of the season is honestly catastrophic, but business aside, your safety and our integrity will always come first.
“To think last night we were running round Tesco trying to stock up on milk and now we are in the depths of recovering the site to go again tomorrow. All emails and enquiries are being responded to as quickly as possible and we are doing our best to open up more available slots next week.
“We are being tested like never before, but pulling together in true force. Huge shout out to the whole team and Farmer Fi the absolute queen in any crisis.
“Thank you all for your patience and especially thank you to those who have sent such kind words and support, we are so grateful to have customers like you.
“We will be back tomorrow to enjoy the remaining of this tough season, we are putting in so many provisions with wood chip paths, undercover seating and an indoor barn to make your visit as enjoyable as possible. Ali & Fi.”
Anyone who had tickets to visit Bates Farm on Sunday will be refunded, and can book in for another date.
Bates Farm has safely reopened its autumnal experience and pumpkin patch today.
Emily Sergeant -
20th July 2022 
