South Yorkshire Stagecoach drivers suspend strike after pay talks

Bus drivers in Barnsley and Rotherham have suspended strike action after receiving a new pay offer from Stagecoach, the Unite union said.

However, industrial action will continue in Sheffield.

The strike began earlier this month with drivers in South Yorkshire claiming they were the "lowest paid in the region".

Stagecoach said it would hold further talks to "try and agree a new deal for depots covering the Sheffield area".

More than 560 bus workers are involved in the dispute after 95% of Unite members voted for "indefinite all-out strike action" in a ballot last month.

Unite said drivers in Sheffield earned £10.52 an hour and those in Barnsley and Rotherham earned £10.80, but they should earn at least £11.40 an hour.

Talks to end the dispute have been taking place through the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS).

Unite regional officer Phil Bown said said its members in Barnsley and Rotherham would now vote on the pay deal and the strike action in those two areas would end from Wednesday.

"Negotiations on behalf of our Stagecoach members in Sheffield are still ongoing however and will continue tomorrow," said Mr Brown."There will be no suspension of strike action in Sheffield until an offer is put forward that our members could find acceptable."

In a statement, Stagecoach Yorkshire confirmed that "positive talks" at ACAS had led to the suspension of the industrial action. The firm added that it would return to negotiations at ACAS on Tuesday.

Stagecoach said it would be running several services on reduced timetables while the Sheffield strike continued.

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