HUNDREDS of drivers at Stagecoach Highland have called off strike action after winning a double-digit pay rise.

The deal comes less than a month after transport workers’ union Unite announced strike action at Stagecoach Highland when bus drivers rejected an offer worth 4 per cent backdated to July, with a further 2.5 per cent from January.

Unite negotiated a 7.5 per cent increase backdated to July, another 2 per cent from July 2025 and a 5 per cent boost to overtime payments, following the strike threat.

Wages of the firm’s lowest paid drivers will now be pegged at 3 per cent above the Real Living Wage, a move which will see their wages rise by over 10  per cent  — from £12.98 to £14.98 by July 2025.

Marc Jackson, Unite industrial officer, said: “Strike action has been avoided but this pay dispute should send a warning to the company that in the future they can’t take their workers for granted and they must be properly valued.”