Bus drivers' dispute resolved

The dispute affected Ulsterbus and Citybus services

Northern Ireland bus drivers' pay dispute with Translink has been resolved.

Bus drivers voted on Thursday in favour of accepting an improved pay offer of 5.7%.

The Transport and General Workers and GMB unions will hold further talks with Translink next week to sort out the details.

More than 1,700 Citybus and Ulsterbus drivers held a 24-hour strike on 17 October, but further scheduled stoppages were put on hold while talks continued.

The drivers were seeking pay rise to compensate for loss of income caused by an EU directive limiting overtime hours.

I believe we are in the lower rungs of the ladder before climbing up to a wage that we consider acceptable John Coffey TGWU

Drivers' basic salaries are about £13,500 which they supplement with overtime of about £5,000 a year.

The new European directive will limit overtime hours, so unions wanted to raise the level of basic pay.

Translink chief executive Keith Moffatt said: "We have dedicated a substantial amount of time and energy into resolving this dispute, and we are very pleased with the positive outcome of the ballot."

John Coffey from the Transport and General Workers' Union said the deal was a starting point.

"I believe we are in the lower rungs of the ladder before climbing up to a wage that we consider acceptable," he said.

"At the moment, we are still not anywhere near what we deserve, considering the work that we do, but it is a beginning.

"We have an arrangement to go into meaningful negotiations for changes for the future."