Andy Burnham offers to 'come to the table' with striking TfGM workers

Andy Burnham has offered to ‘come to the negotiating table’ with union members over striking Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) employees - after taking aim at ‘unjustified’ demands.

In a letter to Unite and Unison representatives, the Greater Manchester mayor called the strikes ‘disappointing’. But he offered to meet with union representatives to ‘discuss’ a deal - under strict conditions.

TfGM workers are striking over pay and working conditions from today (Thursday, December 12) until Sunday (December 15) and December 20-23. The strikes don’t include bus and tram drivers but will affect ticket offices, customer service and information desks.

READ MORE: Police smash down door of family home covered in Christmas decorations in early morning strike

Employees were recently offered a pay rise of up to 9.5 percent for people who earn the least, while those who earn more than £51,000 will receive a rise of 2.5 percent in line with the settlement for staff at local authorities. But union reps have instead asked for a 35-hour working week, a pay increase of £3,000 or 10 percent for all, and to tackle pay inequalities within TfGM.

In the letter, which was posted on X, Mr Burnham said: “We are disappointed that industrial action has started today given the improved offer we tabled last week.

“In our view, this is a fair proposal which focuses support for people on the lower pay bands whilst still maintaining an increase for staff at all levels that keeps pace with inflation. …

“We cannot understand why this reasonable offer has not been put to a member ballot in Greater Manchester.”

The mayor offered to meet with union representatives tomorrow - on the strict condition that they remove their proposal from the table and