Oldham bus drivers have been offered a financial 'incentive' from bosses not to take industrial action, an official letter shows.

First Bus drivers in the borough are striking again this weekend as part of a pay dispute between around 360 bus drivers, represented by union Unite, and First Manchester.

Discussions around pay have come to a head after First Bus said its 15.2 per cent pay offer was "generous" while Unite said the company was "penny pinching".

Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to The Oldham Times’ morning and evening newsletters as well as our breaking news alerts 

The union also said Oldham's drivers are paid around a pound an hour less than the region's other bus operators.

The company's final offer was refused by the branch with 87 per cent of members rejecting it.

While more industrial action is scheduled towards the end of July and the beginning of August as a result, an employee at Oldham's bus depot has claimed the company is now offering staff financial "incentives" not to strike.

In a letter seen by The Oldham Times, First Bus has said an "additional payment" of £75 per day will be given to anyone "choosing" to work on strike days.

The letter stated: "We understand that ongoing industrial action has a significant impact on our staff's financial circumstances and mental health.

"No member of staff is compelled to take industrial action - it is each individual's decision to make based on their personal circumstances."

The operations manager who posted the notice on Thursday (July 20) said First Bus is "committed to safeguarding all members of staff that choose not to participate in strike action" and said it will ensure those who do decide to work are "dealt with confidentially".

The letter concluded: "Any member of staff that would like to opt to work during these days should contact me for more information.

"An additional payment of £75 per day will be applied for anyone choosing to do so."

An employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said the letter is "offering incentives for drivers to go past industrial action" but that the company "can't afford to fund the pay rise".

Defending the letter, operations director of First Manchester, Rob Hughes, said a "significant" number of their fleet of drivers have asked about working during industrial action.

He said: "It is standard practice for a union to pay members to strike, so the additional payment we are offering is no different."

Mr Hughes also said the £75 per day boost "also recognises the added pressures that colleagues driving on strike days are likely to experience", such as limited frequency and capacity as well as high customer demand. 

He added: “We respect the right of all colleagues to choose whether or not to work during industrial action and understand the financial and mental impact on their wellbeing from not working.

“We plan to operate a limited number of services from Monday 24 July during the continued strikes.

"Additional drivers will enable us to provide what we can to help people get to work, attend appointments and manage their daily lives.”

The dates announced for the strikes stretch from this weekend (July 22 and 23) and into next week, including Monday, Tuesday and Thursday (July 24, 25 and 28),.

Industrial action is also due to take place in the first week of August, including Monday (July 31) followed by Wednesday, (August 2), Thursday (August 3), Monday (August 7), Thursday (August 10) and Friday (August 11).

If you have a story, I cover all things Oldham from food reviews and local business news to music and events, pubs, education, crime, property, health, community concerns and much more. Please email me at Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge with your news.