Workers at London’s biggest bus operator, Go-Ahead, have secured a 10.5% pay deal, heading off the threat of more industrial action in the capital.
About 7,700 bus staff, both drivers and engineers, will benefit from the increase, which is slightly ahead of current CPI inflation.
The agreement comes as approximately 600 Arriva drivers in Kent have also suspended strikes planned for later this week, while voting on an improved offer.
Bus drivers around the country have called a series of strikes this year, demanding pay rises in line with rampant inflation after working in difficult conditions during the coronavirus pandemic.
Services in Yorkshire and the north-west were hit by long-running walkouts at the start of the summer, while drivers in London employed by Arriva called off a planned strike earlier this month after an 11% offer.
The Unite union said the Go-Ahead deal was struck after extensive negotiations, with an improved offer coming as Unite prepared to ballot members for industrial action. About 50% of the drivers are Unite members.
“This is an important win for bus workers at Go-Ahead,” said the Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham. “By being organised and fully prepared to face down management they have secured this pay increase.”
The union said Go-Ahead bus drivers were currently among the best paid in London, and the deal would increase pressure on rival firms such as Metroline, where a strike ballot has opened after a pay offer of 5.5%.
It is understood that Unite is likely to also ballot for a strike among Stagecoach bus drivers in London.
Drivers of all types have been in short supply since the pandemic, with firms employing HGV drivers offering hefty rises and bonuses to bring staff in from other sectors. However, bus drivers have typically earned substantially less. The bus operators’ trade association, the Confederation of Passenger Transport, is about to launch a new advertising campaign to attract new recruits.
