Bus services in and out of Glasgow could be halted during the COP 26 summit as drivers and staff are balloting for industrial action over pay.

Stagecoach workers want a 1% over inflation deal but said the firm is offering a below inflation offer.

If they vote to strike it is expected to coincide with conference which takes place between October 31 and November 12.

The ballot covers 1500 drivers, cleaners, engineering workers and admin staff in depots in the west of Scotland.

The operate services, many of which cover buses into Glasgow from Lanarkshire and Ayrshire.

Dougie Maguire, Unite regional coordinator, said: “Stagecoach’s stance has been nothing short of shocking, and it has infuriated the workforce who have continued to work diligently throughout the Covid pandemic. The Stagecoach Group is extremely profitable. It also directly benefits from millions of pounds of public funds every year through various Scottish Government schemes, not to mention benefiting from the UK Government’s furlough scheme for the last 18 months.”

“If Stagecoach do not come to their senses, then many of the nation’s major bus routes will grind to a halt if our members vote for industrial action. Remote local communities and showcase events such as the COP26 climate change conference will be severely disrupted. This will be solely down to the Group’s point blank refusal to make our members a fair pay offer. The solution is simple: give our members the pay rise they deserve or face widespread industrial disruption.”

Stagecoach said the union statement does not reflect what it said were "continuing positive discussions" with local union reps.

A spokesperson said: “The reality is that Covid-19 has resulted in bus passenger numbers being only 70% of pre-pandemic levels. As a result, services being run by all bus operators require support from the Scottish Government, which does not cover pay awards. This means that passenger fares are significantly short of what is needed just to even cover the day-to-day costs of running services, never mind investment in new greener vehicles.

"We are committed to offering good packages for our people that reflect the local economic conditions, the varying costs of running services and the level of passenger journeys. The focus should be on protecting both the jobs of our people and the long-term sustainability of vital public transport services for the local community. 

"Separate pay discussions are taking place in different parts of the country and are at different stages. We have put fair offers to Unite in these locations and we very much remain open to continuing discussions with the union to reach agreement."

At the same time train services could be severely disrupted with a dispute between union and Abellio, still not resolved.

Union members were protesting outside Bute House, the First Minister’s residence and rail union reps have said they will not hesitate to take action during COP 26.

ASLEF, The RMT, TSSA and Unite took part in the protest over pay and Abellio plans to cut around 300 train services a day in a new timetable.

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch, said: “The Scottish Government is managing the ScotRail franchise under its ongoing Emergency Measures Agreement and it has the power to block the service cuts being proposed. It cannot evade responsibility over this issue.
“With COP26 just weeks away, it beggars belief that the Scottish Government is happy to preside over massive cuts to rail services, despite this being a sustainable and low carbon form of transport. This will do nothing to make Scotland a ‘Net zero nation’ and will just push more people into cars.”