MORE than 300 Manchester tram drivers will go on strike during the festive season after workers rejected proposals to tackle driver fatigue.

KeolisAmey Metrolink Limited workers will walk out on December 19, 20 and 31 over rotas which Unite says leaves some drivers working six days in a row.

Drivers say they are experiencing exhaustion and have flagged concerns that fatigue is putting themselves and passengers at risk.

Members were balloted on plans to change rotas and add in rest days, but the union says that 60 new drivers would be needed, and that Metrolink claims this could take up to two years.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The vote to reject their employer’s offer and press ahead with industrial action shows how concerned and angry drivers are about chronic levels of fatigue.”

Members and the general public “cannot wait for change to be implemented months or years down the line,” she said.

Danny Vaughan, chief network officer at Transport for Greater Manchester, said the outcome of the ballot is “surprising and disappointing” but that the firm is “committed to working constructively on the next steps.”