HUNDREDS of Arriva bus drivers and engineers across north-east England have voted to accept an inflation-proof wage rise, their union, Unite announced today.

A massively improved 11.9 per cent deal for the more than 300 workers based in Newcastle and Northumberland came after they voted overwhelmingly for strikes, the union said.

General secretary Sharon Graham confirmed that the dispute has now ended and hailed the workforce for winning an “excellent deal by showing the company they were willing to take industrial action to secure a fair pay rise.