Manchester bus driver strikes called off

The strike action was due to take place on Friday, Saturday and Monday

Planned strikes by bus drivers in Greater Manchester over the weekend have been called off.

Staff at two Bee Network bus operators, Metroline and Stagecoach were due to stage a walkout on Friday, Saturday and Monday.

The Unite union said the strikes would be suspended while it balloted drivers on a new pay offer from the operators.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, said: "We've been working hard to get to this point and are pleased Unite has called off this weekend's strikes.

"We are hopeful that an agreement between operators and the union can be reached quickly to avoid further action."

Drivers have been on strike twice in recent months after talks broke down between the Unite union and bus operators.

Ballot

Danny Vaughan, TfGM's chief network officer, said: "This positive announcement means that the 190 bus routes we expected to be disrupted should now run as normal.

"Given the timing of the decision, there may still be limited disruption on some bus services across Greater Manchester this weekend."

He advised people to plan ahead and check for updates before travelling.

Unite regional officer Colin Hayden said the drivers had received an improved pay offer following negotiations with the companies and had suspended strike action to allow members to vote on whether or not to accept the deal.

Pending the outcome of the ballot, further strikes by the drivers on 18, 23 and 24 October could still go ahead, he added.