STAGECOACH East workers in Fife are expected to accept pay proposals after a new offer was put on the table by the bus company.

Stagecoach East say they have had 'constructive discussions' with trade union Unite in pay talks covering employees based in Fife and Tayside.

New pay proposals put forward by Stagecoach were due to be voted on by employees yesterday (October 20) with a strong union recommendation to accept.

Employees in both regions are being offered two-year deals which would increase pay by an average of 7.5% over the period covered by the agreements.

Last week workers rejected a pay offer of 2.4 per cent backdated to May 2021 by 90 per cent.

The trade union had warned that unless there was a "significant shift" in Stagecoach's pay offers across its Scottish divisions, then strike action by the end of October would be "inevitable".

Unite has demanded Stagecoach meet its "fair" pay claim of the Retail Price Index inflation figure (3.8 per cent – July) plus one per cent.

The trade union and company went back into discussions last Friday after the rejection.

Douglas Robertson, Managing Director of Stagecoach East Scotland said: “We have had constructive discussions today (Friday) with Unite.

"We are pleased to have put together positive pay packages for our people that are strongly supported by the union.

"Throughout our discussions, our priority has been to protect jobs, ensure our people who keep our communities connected are properly rewarded, and secure the long-term future of bus networks in east Scotland."

Dougie Maguire, Unite regional coordinator, said: "Positive talks on Friday resulted in an offer by Stagecoach which has been recommended for acceptance by Unite.

Members will cast their vote on Wednesday (20th October) to determine if they will accept the offer, and if they do then the threat of industrial action is over."