Greater Manchester’s tram drivers are to go on strike in their dispute over working schedules, their trade union has said.
Unite said Metrolink’s 320 drivers were concerned about operating heavy passenger vehicles while exhausted.
They plan to strike from Friday 5 to Sunday 7 December, affecting passengers planning to head to Manchester’s busy Christmas markets, concerts by Ed Sheeran, Jamiroquai and Pete Tong, and Manchester City’s Premier League game against Sunderland at Etihad Stadium.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) said it was working directly with drivers, Unite and Metrolink bosses to examine concerns about rotas.
Drivers said their current shift pattern meant they work 450 hours over a 12-week period.
Unite said it meant some drivers work 50 hours on with just two days off before working another 50-hour week.
The union’s general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Driver fatigue is a major safety issue for both our members and passengers, but Metrolink management is not taking this seriously.”
Colin Hayden, also from Unite, said drivers in Manchester “work a lot longer than any other tram drivers in the UK”.
He added: “Some of their conditions and schedules and rostering is just causing absolute fatigue within the drivers to the point of exhaustion.
“We have tried for many, many months to work with the employers to find some sort of resolution but the outcome has always been they haven’t got any money to invest.
“How long does it go on, how long do our members have to keep going before someone takes them seriously?
“Our fear is that we end up with a serious incident on the network and that is what we are trying to avoid.”
Danny Vaughan, TfGM’s chief network officer, said: “Since we were informed of the outcome of the tram drivers’ ballot, we’ve been working directly with drivers, Unite and the operator Keolis Amey Metrolink to explore the rosters in detail and come up with practical solutions that address the union’s concerns.”