More than 1,800 London bus drivers have ended strike action after securing “greatly improved” pay offer, a union has said.
Unite said its members employed by Abellio in south and west London would end its strike action at the bus company after securing the payrise.
The union’s general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is an important pay victory. Workers have stood firm and with the support of their union, Unite, they have secured a richly deserved pay increase.”
The union said the pay deal meant drivers with two or more years’ experience would receive £18 an hour, an increase of 18% on the basic rate.
The series of 20 days of strikes late last year had affected union members based at depots in Battersea, Beddington, Hayes, Southall, Twickenham and Walworth.
Strikes planned for Monday and Tuesday last week were also called off while union members were balloted on whether to end their action. February 20 and 21, and five successive days in early March, had also been earmarked for strikes.
Bus routes affected included the 24, 111, 159, 285, 344 and 345.
The agreement includes increases to all rates including overtime and rest day working and weekend working, said the union.
Unite said an agreement to negotiate a new scheduling agreement was pivotal to ending the industrial action.
A spokesperson from Abellio London said: “We are delighted that our drivers have now accepted the substantial pay rise we put in place in early January.
“This will see an increase in pay for all of our drivers, with a base rate rise of as much as 18% for some grades, equating to around £100 per week increase.
“We are proud that this makes us one of the highest paying operators in London with a new starter salary of c£32,000 moving to c£40,000 after 2-years’ service. It was disappointing that strikes unnecessarily continued into February despite this fantastic offer being made at the beginning of the year.
“It brings to an end a difficult period of industrial action which has been tough for the company, our drivers and our customers. With the issue now settled we look forward to continuing to offer Londoners outstanding service on our routes while making innovations on sustainable public transport.”
