Leeds council transport services disrupted as workers strike over safety fears

Nearly 80 members of the Unite union will take industrial action over safety concerns starting this week, causing disruption to Leeds council passenger transport services over the next two months.

The workers involved in the dispute include drivers who transport service users, including children and older adults with learning difficulties, special needs and complex health issues, to locations such as schools, respite placements, medical appointments and community centres. Passenger assistance and office support staff for the services are also involved in the dispute.

According to Unite, funding cuts over the last 18 months have seen a ‘noticeable decline’ in the services.

The most pressing problems, the union stated, are workers lacking vital equipment such as restraints, inadequate first aid and no risk assessments, which have led to occasions where both staff and service users have been hurt, including assaults on staff by service users and incidents involving service users harming each other.

General secretary Sharon Graham said: "It is completely unacceptable that council cuts are not only putting our hardworking members at risk but also people who rely on this vital service.

"Workers should never bear the brunt of funding cuts which are not their fault. Management must take our members’ concerns seriously and come up with a workable solution to the problems at Leeds council. Our members have Unite’s unwavering support.”

Unite also stated that other issues with the service include buses not being covered at short notice due to illness, staffing shortages or administrative errors, which have led to situations where entire busloads of children have missed school.

Members also report low morale, a stressful working environment and pressure to resolve problems quickly without proper processes being followed - especially in cases where complaints have been escalated via councillors or MPs.

One worker shared their experience: "I regularly support around 12 service users on school transport and have experienced incidents where staff and other service users have been attacked.

“I am also under constant pressure due to additional work being added to my role, which makes it harder to properly support both colleagues and service users."

Another added: "I am working in a service where failures that once would have been exceptional now feel routine. Missed cover, last-minute changes and lack of staffing mean vulnerable children and adults are the ones who ultimately suffer, and staff are left dealing with the fallout from mistakes that were avoidable."

Strikes will begin on Friday, January 9, and will continue on January 23, 24, 29 and 30. Strikes will also take place between February 24 and 27.

Unite regional officer Chris Muscroft said: "Strike action is a last resort for our members, but these serious problems are not being addressed and they have no choice but to make their voices heard to protect themselves, their colleagues and those using the service.

"Unite has been constantly open to negotiations, as our members really care about the service users they look after, but management is refusing to take their concerns seriously.”

A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “We have been working hard to resolve concerns which have been raised by Unite locally and we continue to work with them to find a resolution. We take all concerns seriously and have undertaken a number of measures to address these.

“The pressure on passenger transport is being experienced by many local authorities, however in Leeds there have been no cuts to frontline services and we have increased the number of staff working in the service.

“This Friday (January 9) we will be making every effort to prioritise school transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

“However, as with any industrial action, it remains unclear exactly how services will be affected. We are therefore encouraging people to make alternative arrangements where they can. We are engaging our service users and keeping people updated as best we can in the circumstances.”