First Cymru bus drivers across South Wales have accepted an improved pay offer, ending all further planned industrial action.
The workers, who are members of trade union Unite, had taken part in eight days of strike action, which they said was in protest of their low levels of pay. They will now receive a 5% increase backdated to 1 April. This will see drivers’ pay rise to £14.25 per hour now, and to £15 per hour from 1 January 2027.
The pay increases will apply to all other grades, including engineers, administrative and clerical, and service personnel. Cleaners will see a temporary pay increase until 1 April 2026, when the £13.45 real living wage will apply and surpass the increase.
Doug Claringbold, managing director at First Bus Cymru, said: “We are pleased that the revised offer has been accepted by colleagues and that the threat of further strike action has been lifted. This agreement provides certainty for our teams and our customers, and enables us to move forward together. Our priority now is to restore confidence and deliver the reliable, consistent services that our communities depend on every day. We want to thank our customers for their patience during this period of uncertainty.”
Sharon Graham, general secretary at Unite, added: “First Cymru workers deserve the credit for standing firm and being prepared to take strike action to reach their aims against an employer who had been set on cutting real-terms pay.”
Alan McCarthy, regional officer at Unite, said: “Despite winning the dispute, the fact that they had to take strike action at all should be a real concern for key stakeholders in Transport for Wales and the Welsh government. The fact remains that these workers will still be among the lowest paid in the sector. Steps must be taken to ensure that low pay is eliminated in our Welsh bus sector, under the new franchising model. Unite remains steadfast in its belief that workers will not suffer financially for franchising.”
