Strike cancelled as bus workers accept pay offer

The settlement brings to a close a dispute running for several weeks

Bus workers have settled a pay row after voting to accept an improved offer from bosses.

About 600 Stagecoach North East drivers, cleaners and engineers in Newcastle, Sunderland and South Shields staged a day of strike action earlier this month after rejecting a 3.3% proposal backdated to April and topped up with a further 1.7% from January next year.

However, the union Unite has now announced its members have accepted a revised offer which will see the 1.7% element brought forward by three months to September.

Stagecoach North East said the agreement would "prevent any further disruption".

Further strike action scheduled for 31 August has been called off.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the workers had secured a satisfactory pay deal "by sticking together".

Industrial action was first announced last month following an initial offer which the union said was "well below the pay of those doing the same job in the north west".

The hourly pay for drivers in the North East is currently £15.01 per hour, according to Unite, with drivers working for Stagecoach in Manchester earning £17.54.

In a statement, Steve Walker, managing director of Stagecoach North East, said: "We are pleased to have reached an agreement over pay, which will prevent any further disruption.

"We're very proud of our employees in the North East, who do a fantastic job in serving our communities and providing convenient, cost-effective and sustainable travel across the region.

"This agreement means that we can now focus on the future ahead and making sure we continue to deliver the best possible service."

The company previously said its Newcastle drivers were "already the highest paid in the region" and further pay increases would see "additional costs passed on to customers".