A PLANNED strike by drivers on First busses has been called off.

Drivers at the company’s Bolton and Rusholme depots who belong to the Unite trade union were due to stage a walkout on Monday, October 9.

However, First confirmed that this strike has now been cancelled and services will run as normal.

A spokesman for First said Unite has agreed to recommend a revised offer and drivers will be balloted next week.

The spokesman added: “We are very sorry for the inconvenience to date and are hopeful that staff will accept the offer being recommended by Unite, so we avoid further disruption for our customers.”

First drivers with the Unite union were due to strike on every Monday in October.

On Monday, October 2, 679 drivers staged a day of industrial action.

Unite union members picketed outside the First Bus depot in Great Lever, after rejecting recent pay offers from the company which Unite regional organiser, Neil Clarke,said were ‘way below the level of inflation’.

Mr Clarke added that there were a number of different pay rates at the depot for people doing the same job.

Monday’s strike affected dozens of routes, which came on the same day as many cancelled rail services.