YELLOW Buses staff are threatening strike action if reassurances over their jobs, pensions and conditions are not forthcoming.

Workers claim they have pleaded with council leaders to discuss the impending sale of the company but say they have had no response.

They are now considering a one-day strike, which would inconvenience thousands of passengers.

James Wall, Transport and General Workers Union branch secretary at Yellow Buses, said they had already registered a "failure to agree" with Bournemouth council.

"This is the first step in the chain of events to industrial action," he said. "By registering this with them, they know we're not happy and they can respond and come back and talk with us. If they don't talk, we go to the next stage - a ballot for industrial action."

The union has been campaigning locally against the sale of the company and spoken to the general secretary's office in London about lobbying the government.

Mr Wall said: "The council has handled the whole situation in a cack-handed way. We're appalled that they cannot even comply with consultation and information laws.

"We want to know what arrangements they are going to make with the new owners, whether there are going to be any job losses and what guarantees they can give us that there won't be redundancies. But they don't seem to be interested in talking to us whatsoever."

The deadline for expressions of interest in the bus company was last Friday and it's believed more than 10 companies have entered the race.

Cllr Richard Smith, deputy leader of the council, said the union was "jumping the gun".

The TGWU had been sent written confirmation that their employment and pension rights would be protected and this was also included in the council's list of sale objectives.

"The administration will do everything in its power to ensure their rights are protected but we're not at that stage yet and talking about strike action is premature," he said.

First published: April 5