BUS drivers in York will begin voting on whether to take strike action next week when a secret ballot begins.

Union chiefs have confirmed the ballot of First drivers, which will take place over two weeks, will begin on Tuesday.

Drivers will have until August 12 to make their decision on whether to take industrial action after pay talks with management at the James Street company broke down. The ballot will be carried out by the Electoral Reform Society and drivers will cast their votes by post.

If staff vote in favour of industrial action, there will then be an eight-day cooling off period before any strikes can begin.

Industry sources have indicated that if the ballot showed that drivers were in favour of striking, the action would be "all-out".

That could bring chaos to city centre roads in mid-August - the middle of the school holidays - as no services would run except contracted Park&Ride buses.

Drivers are balloting after comprehensively rejecting a pay offer totalling more than six per cent. They want £8 an hour, or a rise in some cases of 16.25 per cent. First chiefs have insisted these demands are "totally unacceptable" and they withdrew the offer.

Updated: 10:38 Thursday, July 24, 2003