Bus drivers are being asked to accept a small pay rise to save colleagues from the axe.
The Courier understands Stagecoach staff at Fife’s Aberhill, St Andrews, Glenrothes and Dunfermline depots are being offered a 1% pay rise this year, in a deal which could keep Cowdenbeath depot open, albeit with only around a third of the 141 staff it currently employs.
An insider said if they turn down the offer, which would rise to 2.4% the following year and include restrictions on pay rates for new starts, Cowdenbeath would again be facing the chop.
The shock news the century-old depot, which once housed trams, could be lost along with scores of jobs has seen thousands sign a petition in only hours.
Community activist Mary Lockhart added: “This is more than a depot, it is more than an employer.
“This is about shutting down something where good things are happening.
“It’s a loss to the community, to the people who are living and working in our wee villages.”
Stagecoach East Scotland announced the closure of the depot from this August following the loss of school and local bus contracts in the west Fife area.
The firm bid for all contracts for south and west Fife schools and local routes, but was offered a “significantly reduced level of work compared to previous years”.
Managing director Andrew Jarvis said closing the depot had been a very difficult decision but it was simply not affordable to continue running fewer services with the same operating costs.
At the time he said the firm would look to redeploy staff to other depots.
But Ms Lockhart branded the decision “to put 150 jobs in jeopardy” on the back of such a loss as extraordinary.
And an insider added: “At the minute they are saying it will close with 150 jobs engineers, drivers, cleaners, supervisors in danger.
“After talking to the union they got together and went back to management offering a pay freeze or something similar if they keep it open.
“Now it could remain open with 50-60 drivers, mainly on the 19 route, but dependent on the other workers taking just a 1% rise.
“If the guys knock it back, where does that leave everyone?
“The Cowdenbeath guys are trying to say to them if it closes there would be upheaval at all the other depots, with changes to rotas and things, so it’s in their favour to accept it and avoid that disruption.”
A spokeswoman for the firm said: “Our consultation with trade union representatives into the planned closure of the depot is ongoing and we are continuing to discuss all of the options available to minimise the impact on our staff.
“As this is an ongoing process, we are not able to provide any further information at this time.”