Cheltenham Festival bus strike off as drivers ‘accept’ pay rise

A month-long bus strike in the West of England has been cancelled after drivers accepted a proposed pay rise, Stagecoach West has said.

The operator said on Friday (March 4) it had received confirmation from trade union Unite that its members had accepted new pay deals it proposed last week.

Stagecoach West said the pay agreements cover 380 of its employees at depots in Bristol, Cheltenham, Coalway, Gloucester, Stroud, and Swindon.

BusinessLive has contacted Unite for confirmation. The union previously said it had been pressing for a pay rise for its members in line with the current RPI inflation rate of 7.8%.

Workers had been set to launch industrial action from March 10, with Unite warning it could affect those travelling to the Cheltenham Festival, with the race meeting due to start a few days later.

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Rachel Geliamassi, managing director of Stagecoach West, said: “We’re very pleased to have reached agreement with Unite on new pay deals for our employees across all of our depots in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

“We have been 100% committed to delivering pay increases for our people, on top of the increases we have given over the past two years during the difficult period of the pandemic. These packages recognise the valuable contribution our people make to our business and our local communities.

“We are pleased that our teams can now focus fully on delivering the important public transport links local people need and that services, including those scheduled for the Cheltenham Festival, can be delivered as planned.”

#Update We’re very pleased to have reached an agreement with Unite on new pay deals for our employees. Our teams can now focus fully on delivering the services that people need, including those scheduled for @CheltenhamRaces pic.twitter.com/Mo8udDWhef

— Stagecoach West (@Stagecoach_West)

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