Warwickshire Stagecoach bus strikes suspended amid new pay offer

If the new deal is rejected industrial action will continue on 12 September, the union says

Bus drivers in Warwickshire have suspended strike action after a new pay offer was put forward.

Unite the Union members working at Stagecoach were due to take part in industrial action on Tuesday in a dispute over pay.

The firm has now offered an "improved" deal after a pay rise of 7.8% for the first year and 4.5% plus £100 for the second was rejected, the union said.

Stagecoach has said bus services are expected to run as normal.

Following last minute talks on Monday, the scheduled walk out was called off to allow drivers, who are currently paid £14 an hour, to vote on the new offer.

About 350 member drivers who operate from depots in Nuneaton, Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon, are involved in the dispute.

If the deal is rejected, indefinite strike action will begin on 12 September, the union has said.

Stagecoach controls 87% of the bus network in Warwickshire, with routes also extending into Coventry,

Mark Whitelocks, managing director of Stagecoach Midlands, said the firm was "pleased" that its talks with union representatives "have gone well".

He said: "We play an important part in our communities and customers can now expect their bus to run as normal tomorrow.

"We hope that the revised offer is accepted and any industrial action can be avoided."