Planned strikes by Unite members working for Stagecoach and Metroline on the Bee Network staff have officially been called off.
Nearly 2,000 members of the union were due to walk out on 18, 23 and 24 October in a dispute over pay, with action now called off following the acceptance of a ‘vastly improved’ pay deal.
The accepted deal will see Unite members given a pay increase of 12% over two years, with the first pay rise of 5.9% set to be fully backdated to April 2025 and the second pay rise coming in April 2026 on all rates of pay, including weekend and sick pay.
Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said:Bus drivers do difficult, essential jobs day in day out and deserve pay that reflects this, Unite is pleased the bus companies came to their senses with a greatly improved offer.
This is an excellent, well-deserved win for our members at Stagecoach and Metroline who took on their employers in the fight for better pay and won. It proves the power of a union.
Drivers will also be given enhancements to Christmas working periods, including improved pay and time off. The previous new starter rate of 12 months progression has also been replaced with a commitment to pay new drivers full pay once they are fully trained, which typically takes between six to 12 weeks.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Mayor Andy Burnham have both stated they will look into historical issued within the passenger transport sector in the city, including toilet access, adequate breaks and improved pension schemes.
Unite Regional Officer Colin Hayden said:This is a fantastic deal for drivers at Metroline and Stagecoach, which gives them a baked-in pay rise for two years. This win only came about as the members stuck together to fight for the pay deal they deserved.
We are also pleased that TFGM have pledged to address other problems with pay and conditions and Unite looks forward to working with them to improve this for our members at the Bee Network.
