Stagecoach South Wales bus drivers have ended their strike action by agreeing a new £10.50 per hour pay deal with bosses.

Unite members voted yesterday to accept the company’s new offer bringing to end 17 days of industrial action.

The revised pay offer will be back-dated to April 2021.

Sharon Graham, Unite General Secretary, said: “This is a tremendous victory for our members at Stagecoach South Wales. They have been completely united throughout the strike. As result they have achieved what is a break-through deal, for these workers, of £10.50 an hour. Our union is completely focused on driving up pay and conditions in the sector and this deal is an important statement of our intention to deliver upon this. All transport operators in Wales need to recognise that we will not accept poverty pay for our members.”

Regional Officer, Alan McCarthy commented, said: “Our members have been inspirational throughout this dispute. Not only have they achieved the £10.50 hourly rate with back pay, they successfully pushed back against cuts to sick pay for some of the longest-serving staff.

“This dispute has highlighted the scourge of low pay within the Welsh transport sector. With deregulation coming to an end in Wales we are calling upon the Welsh Government to us the opportunity to introduce a system of sectoral bargaining. Through this we can end the continuous race to the bottom which has driven down pay rates.

“This dispute has been a shining example of what Unite the Union is all about, fighting for Jobs, Pay and Conditions in the workplace. Our members here will remember this victory for a long time, they are determined to remain united going forward into future pay talks”.

Nigel Winter, managing director for Stagecoach South Wales, said: “We’re very proud of our team, who do a fantastic job in delivering vital transport connections for local people.

“We said right from the start that we were committed to getting a settlement to reflect the important role our people play and that also protects the long-term sustainability of the bus network for our customers and communities in South Wales. We’re pleased that through flexibility on both sides, and improvements in productivity, we have reached an agreement that achieves these aims through until April 2023 and that will bring an end to any further strike action.”

The next pay talks will take place in May 2023.