Percy Main News Today

Go North East bus drivers are voting on whether to end their all-out strike after forcing bosses to offer more money.

The rank-and-file must now draw up their own red lines for the dispute and demand oversight of all further negotiations, rather than closed-door meetings of the company and Unite officials. They must reach out to other bus workers to develop a unified counteroffensive against the restrictions imposed by Unite from above.

About 1,300 Go North East bus drivers and staff could end up striking until April at the earliest.

Unite receives support from the Canadian union which is linked to the parent firm of Go North East.

National wildcat strike over pay and conditions by thousands of Serbian postal workers continues to spread in teeth of union opposition and dismissal threats; steel and construction workers in Iran join strikes and protests over rising poverty and authoritarian rule; nationwide strike in Nigeria over state violence to try and intimidate workers’ struggles over pay

A private operator steps in to run services impacted by the Go North East strike.

Unite says the pay offer is "abhorrent" while Go North East says the protest was a "distraction".

Postal workers in Serbia continue national wildcat strike over pay and conditions in opposition to unions, defying threats of dismissal; protests over pay, pensions continue in Khuzestan province, Iran by oil contractors as economy faces collapse aggravated by US sanctions; national strike of postal workers in Kenya in defiance of court order over unpaid salaries

GNE bus workers can place no faith in Unite and its General Secretary Sharon Graham. They must draw up their own red lines in this dispute and demand oversight of all further negotiations, rather than closed-door meetings of the company and Unite officials.

More than £1m has already been paid to some 1,300 Go North East workers engaged in strike action.