Bus drivers striking over a pay dispute could continue their industrial action over Christmas and well into the New Year.

Drivers represented by union Unite and based out of Cwmbran, Blackwood and Brynmawr depots want a “no strings” pay rise to £10.50 an hour.

Drivers at Blackwood are currently paid £9.50 an hour.

Since October 19, drivers have been on strike for certain periods.

Their latest action covers Monday, November 1, to Saturday, November 6, and again on Monday, November 8, and Tuesday, November 9.

Unite has now warned that drivers will go on strike 24 hours a day, every day, from November 17 until January 10 unless their pay demands are met.

Services operating out of the Blackwood depot will be affected, while services across the Caerphilly basin area may also be affected due to possible driver shortages.

Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite is determined to fight for a better deal for our members at Stagecoach. We will not accept workers in South Wales receiving inferior pay to their colleagues in other parts of the UK.

“This dispute will now escalate and Unite will back our members with all of its strength and resources.”

Negotiations have been ongoing between Unite and Stagecoach, with the meetings being mediated by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS).

Speaking on Tuesday, November 2, Alan McCarthy, Unite Wales Regional Officer, said: “We are bitterly disappointed by the approach of Stagecoach management at today’s ACAS talks. Our reasonable proposals to end this dispute were rejected out of hand, by an employer seemingly hell bent on maintaining low pay.

“Drivers have seen their pay increase by less than 75p per hour between 2016 and 2020 whilst the directors annual pay rose from £93,000 to £180,000.”

Mr McCarthy added: “In the light of this gross hypocrisy our members are more resolute than ever and will not back down in this dispute”.

Speaking to Caerphilly Observer, Mr McCarthy said striking drivers would return to work and end the strike action the moment Stagecoach agree to their demands.

The demands include a £10.50 hourly wage, with back pay of £10.30 an hour from April 2021 until the moment Stagecoach agree to the terms.

He said a compromise was made by the drivers to demand a £10.30 hourly back pay instead of the original demands of £10.50, which Mr McCarthy said would save Stagecoach in excess of £150,000.

The striking bus drivers have received the backing of Caerphilly County Borough Council leader Philippa Marsden and deputy leader Jamie Pritchard, who joined them on their first strike day in Blackwood on October 19.

In a joint-statement, the councillors said bus drivers are “more than worthy” of the £10.50 request from Unite.

Stagecoach has previously said passenger levels are “significantly down” compared to before the pandemic and that fares did not cover the day-to-day costs of running services, with Welsh Government support keeping buses on the road.

Stagecoach said it had made the drivers an “above inflation offer” which includes up to £1,000 of back pay and would see existing staff conditions protected and sick pay retained.

Stagecoach South Wales Managing Director Nigel Winter has said the company was “committed” to giving staff a “rightly deserved” pay rise, but said any wage increase “must be sustainable for our business to ensure the long-term viability of jobs, services and bus depots”.

He added: “Unite seem more interested in pushing their political agenda and moving the goalposts to demand an unaffordable pay rise backdated to April, which is not achievable without damaging bus services and putting jobs at risk.”

• Latest information on affected services can be found on Stagecoach’s website.