BUS drivers and staff face festive misery after they were told they would not get extra pay for working two Yuletide bank holidays.

Trade union Unite branded Oxford Bus Company's managing director Phil Southall a Scrooge and said drivers could lose up to £100 a day after the company said it not would pay more for shifts on December 27 and January 2.

The company offered employees 'normal' bank holiday rates for working those days, but trade union Unite rejected the offer because its members wanted the same enhanced rate they get for working Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

The impasse means staff working on December 27 and January 2 will now only get their normal rate of pay.

Both days are public holidays due to Christmas Day and New Year's Day falling on Sundays.

One member of staff said morale at the company was at rock bottom due to the move.

The employee, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "It is ridiculous not recognising those days as bank holidays.

"There is no morale here any more, this company is completely falling apart.

"The company needs to understand that the drivers are the ones generation the money on the ground.

"We are not happy with how we are being treated and that is passing on to the passengers, they can see we are miserable.

"The firm needs to change the way it treats drivers.

"We have lost all passion."

The bus company said it would recognise Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day as the three statutory bank holidays – despite two of them falling on weekends.

Unite regional manager Marie Hall said: "Company managing director Phil Southall is firm favourite to be the meanest boss in Oxfordshire with his hard-hearted attitude.

"The mantle of Scrooge rests easily on his shoulders.

"We believe this is all about that extra dollop of greed and making even more profit for the Go Ahead Group and its shareholders.

"This cruel and unnecessary edict to deny holiday pay to the Oxford bus drivers should be withdrawn immediately."

But Mr Southall said the firm was working with Unite to find a solution to the dispute.

He said: "The company has already made an offer to Unite to pay enhanced rates of pay for driver colleagues working on either December 27 and January 2 but this has been rejected by Unite so far on the basis that they want those not working these days to be allocated lieu days.

"We are fully recognising Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day as the three statutory bank holidays and are paying enhanced rates of pay for each of those three days for those that are working and also compensating those who are not with lieu days.

"No member of staff is not being paid their contractual entitlement.

"The issue is that with both Christmas Day and New Year's Day falling on a Sunday, Unite wishes for there to be five bank holidays over the festive period

"We believe that this is excessive as the additional cost will have to ultimately be borne by our customers."

Staff will receive lieu days for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and January 1.

Unite spokesman Shaun Noble confirmed its members had rejected the offer for extra pay on December 27 and January 2 because it was not a 'full bank holiday rate'.

He added: "Unite can confirm that the union has never mentioned lieu days so we aren’t sure why the company has said we have."

Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said: "December 27 and January 2 are listed on the government website as official bank holidays, so Oxford Bus Company and other employers should treat staff in the same way that they would on any other bank holiday.

"It surprises me if the workers’ entitlement and provision for supplementary pay are not covered in their contract of employment."