Bus drivers in the south-east were mulling over the prospect of strike action today amidst union fears of an "all-out attack" on working conditions.
The RMT union said today it would ballot its nearly 500 members with Wilts and Dorset buses on industrial action up to and including a strike next week.
The firm raised fares by up to 30p in March despite Wilts and Dorset's most recent accounts showing pre-tax profits had risen 44 per cent to £9.447m. Its owner, the Go Ahead group, posted healthy pre-tax profits of £110m in 2012.
RMT general secretary Bob Crow said the figures make it clear the Wilts and Dorset outfit is profitable.
"But even that isn't enough for this crowd as they look to turn the screw with an assault on working conditions that would see staff running round like serfs with barely a minute for a breather," he added.
The ballot is expected to run from January 23 until February 7.
A government guided by common sense would respond to news that publicly owned Royal Mail has increased profits to £403 million by scrapping plans to flog off the service.