South Yorkshire Stagecoach workers strike in pay row

Bus services in South Yorkshire are being disrupted as drivers begin a week-long strike over pay.

The Unite union said more than 560 Stagecoach employees in Sheffield, Barnsley and Rotherham would go on strike until 18 December.

The drivers walked out earlier this month and voted to extend the action after rejecting the latest pay offer.

Stagecoach said it wanted to work with Unite to find a solution, and details of services would be on its website.

The union said action would take place from Saturday until Friday 17 December in Barnsley, Rotherham, Dearne Valley and West Yorkshire.

Drivers in Sheffield would strike from Sunday until Saturday 18 December.

Dedicated school bus services will not be affected.

Phil Medlicott, managing director for Stagecoach Yorkshire, said: "We want to work together with the union to reach a solution.

"But any aspirations need to reflect the fact that passenger numbers on the country's bus networks remain significantly below pre-Covid levels.

"Stagecoach has successfully agreed pay rises for thousands of other employees at depots across the country and we remain open to continuing discussions with the union."

A spokesman for Unite said: "We have worked very hard to avoid this action and are extremely sorry for the disruption this will cause."

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