National Express bus drivers accept 16.2% pay offer

Bus drivers at National Express West Midlands have voted in favour of the latest pay deal, bringing an end to a six day long strike.

More than 3,100 drivers voted for a one-year 16.2 per cent pay increase and improvements to the drivers’ accident pay and hourly rates for working over the Christmas holidays.
 
National Express has also guaranteed to implement new terms and conditions that were agreed with Unite in November last year, a key sticking point in the dispute, said the union.
 
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is an important win for Unite members. By standing together our members at National Express secured an above inflation pay offer.
 
“Unite will leave no stone unturned to defend workers’ pay. This is yet another example of how Unite’s relentless focus on improving jobs, pay and conditions results in real ‘money in the pockets’ of our members.”
 
More than 200 National Express engineers voted last week to accept a separate pay deal. Unite also ensured that around 250 admin staff will also benefit from this deal.

A spokesperson for National Express West Midlands said: “We are pleased that the drivers have voted in favour of accepting the offer.

“We apologise to our customers and the communities we serve for the significant disruption and inconvenience this has caused over the last few weeks. We are pleased to be able to put this behind us and focus on delivering a bus service that customers can rely on.”