More than a month of industrial action by Arriva bus drivers on Merseyside has finally come to an end after union members secured a “magnificent” pay deal.
After 29 days of walk-outs by members of Unite over pay, the union confirmed an agreement had been reached with Arriva and its drivers. More than 2,000 members agreed to accept an 11.1% pay offer, worth an additional average of £2,300 on the workers’ salaries, equal to an extra £55 per week.
Drivers were back on the road on Thursday morning following a fresh round of talks between both sides in which the new offer was put forward after weeks without reaching a breakthrough. A previous offer of 9.6 per cent had been overwhelmingly rejected by four in five of Unite members.
