DRIVERS at First are likely to reject yet another pay offer from management, the Evening Press has learned.

Bosses at the York company have put a third offer to staff and are expecting workers to ballot on the new deal early next week.

Peter Edwards, commercial manager, confirmed that a £7 offer had been presented to staff without some of the "productivity" issues that spelled the end for the last deal.

Drivers had been angry that sacrifices would have been made on issues such as walking time - the time taken to walk between depots - before a pay rise would be given.

Mr Edwards said the company had now relented on some of these points in negotiations with the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU).

But a source close to the bus drivers said employees were still likely to reject the deal, bringing the prospect of a crippling transport strike in York ever closer.

Any strike in York would follow that of South Yorkshire, where drivers have also rejected a revised pay offer and are now set to walk out.

Mr Edwards said: "Following further negotiations with the platform staff, we have revised our original offer and taken out of couple of the contentious items that related to productivity.

"The £7 offer that we made is still on the table but without some of the strings that had been attached. We have presented this offer to the trade union and we believe they are planning to ballot on the deal sometime next week."

Staff have already rejected two offers from management, the first of which was condemned almost unanimously.

Updated: 10:41 Friday, June 06, 2003