Stagecoach Warwickshire has given 450 bus drivers a 13.3% pay increase after they began balloting for strike action.
The one-year pay deal brings drivers’ wages to £14 an hour, as well as more than £1,000 of back pay, from January. In addition, the two-year period in which new starters have to wait to receive the full hourly rate has been changed to six months.
The deal, which was negotiated after the balloting began, applies to drivers at Stagecoach’s Nuneaton, Rugby, Leamington and Stratford-Upon-Avon depots.
Mark Whitelocks, managing director of Stagecoach Midlands, said: “We’re pleased to have reached a positive agreement with Unite on a new pay deal, that has now been fully accepted by their members.
“We’re very proud of our team, who do a great job in delivering vital transport connections for our communities. The agreement means we can focus on the future ahead and making sure we deliver the best possible service for our passengers in Warwickshire.”
Sharon Graham, general secretary at Unite, added: “By standing together in their union, our members secured a significant pay increase. This deal shows once again that Unite’s strategy of focusing entirely on improving our members’ jobs, pay and conditions gets results.”
Sulinder Singh, regional officer at Unite, said: “Our members and representatives at Stagecoach in Warwickshire achieved this victory through solidarity in their union. This result is another reminder that those wanting to improve their wages and working lives should join Unite and get their colleagues to do the same.”
Earlier this month, more than 250 Stagecoach bus drivers in Hull accepted a two-year pay deal worth 20% after striking for four weeks and then suspending further action. They received a pay increase to £12.50, backdated to May 2022, which will then increase to £13 from next month, £13.25 from May 2023 and £13.50 from December 2023.