Workers for a bus company in London ended their strikes after accepting an improved pay increase offer from their employers.
Employees for Abellio agreed to a pay rise of an equivalent 18% on the basic rate, as those with more than two years of service will be on £18-an-hour.
The workforce of more than 1,800 drivers, all members of the Unite union, had taken action for more than 20 days since November last year.
Unite’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 new deal also increased starting rates, rates for working on weekends, rates for overtime and rest day working.
Alongside the pay, the two sides agreed to start negotiations on a new schedule as soon as possible while already settling on timings for rest breaks and starts.
A spokesperson for Abellio London told the BBC that the “substantial pay rise” equated to an increase of about £100 a week and made the firm “one of the highest-paying operators in London”.
“It was disappointing that strikes unnecessarily continued into February despite this fantastic offer being made at the beginning of the year,” they added.
The Abellio strikes affected primarily the south and west of London, with multiple services across the likes of Twickenham and Battersea reduced or halted completely.
Unite were involved in more than bus strikes recently, with members part of last week’s ambulance strikes in England and Wales.
Featured image credit: Jam via Wikimedia Commons under the license CC BY-SA 4.0
