DRIVERS working for National Express in the north east will receive a significant pay increase of nearly 20 per cent over the next two years.

Following prolonged negotiations between the union and the employer, including the threat of industrial action when negotiations stalled, workers will benefit from an increased pay packet.

Drivers will receive more than a 10 per cent pay rise back-dated to July 2023 and then further rises in July of this year and January 2025, bringing the total increase to 19.6 per cent over two years until the next anniversary in July 2025.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "National Express drivers in the north east are rightly celebrating this hefty pay rise that they, and Unite, worked hard to obtain. This proves once again that Unite is the winning union and the power that collective bargaining brings to workers."