Bus drivers and engineers are to go on strike as the new school term begins in September.

Staff working for Stagecoach in Merthyr Tydfil will walk out on Monday, September 6 which is the same day the new school term begins - according to the GMB Union it is over a dispute in pay.

It is not yet known how much of an impact this will have on mid-Wales services such as the TrawsCymru T4, which is operated by Stagecoach, which travels between Cardiff and Newtown with stops in Pontypridd, Merthyr Tydfil and Brecon.

Staff at the Merthyr Tydfil depot, which if often a stop where drivers switch over on the T4 buses before continuing the journey, are asking to receive the same pay as their Porth colleagues - based 16 miles away in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

They are currently being paid around one pound less per hour.

GMB organiser Gareth Morgans said: “Ask yourself; if you were paid a pound an hour less for doing the same job as your colleague, you’d be pretty annoyed wouldn’t you? This situation has gone on for years.

“The strike laws the way they are means that the first date we can take action is in September, so unfortunately thats the way it’s worked out.

“It’s not too late, we’re meeting with Stagecoach on Friday [tomorrow] and we’re hopeful they’ll put an offer on the table that will avoid this chaos, but the ball is very much in their court.

“Why is Merthyr treated differently? If it’s good enough for Porth, its good enough for Merthyr, and the rest of the valleys depots.”

A Stagecoach spokeswoman told The National that the firm was "disappointed" the union was preparing to strike "particularly when bus networks are requiring taxpayer support as a result of the pandemic and the focus should be on protecting the long-term sustainability of services for the local community".

They said Stagecoach offered "good packages for our people that reflect the local economic conditions, the varying costs of running services and the level of passenger journeys" and the GMB claims are "misleading".

Stagecoach is also optimistic the dispute can be resolved over the negotiating table and it is continuing its discussions with GMB.