Press Release

Eleven London Bus garages join strike action in the capital

3 October 2008

Unite members at a further eleven bus garages in London are set to join the 3,500 bus workers who have been taking strike action on Friday 10 and Wednesday 22 October.

The 2,500 Unite members who work for Metroline voted 88.5 per cent in favour of strike action in a recent ballot by the union.

Unite submitted a London wide claim to all bus operators in March of this year to challenge the current system whereby drivers (and other grades) performing identical jobs within the TfL regulated industry, receive hugely varying pay and conditions.

Bus workers at First Capital East, First Centre West and Metrobus have already been out on strike during September.
Unite members at Transdev Sovereign, which covers North and North West London, have just voted in a consultative ballot by 98 per cent in favour of strike action with a full postal ballot now set to proceed.

Unite is calling for a single rate of pay for drivers of £30,000 a year, based on a 38 hour week. Currently the eighteen London bus companies all operate with different pay structures, with pay inequalities of up to £6,000 a year.

Peter Kavanagh, Unite Senior Regional Organiser, says;
“There is a startling disparity between bus drivers pay in the capital, with rosters in some companies seeing many drivers’ complete nearly 60 hours per week.

“Not only is this potentially unsafe, it is unfair to have bus workers across London doing the same job for less money or having to put in much longer hours.

“Our members will continue to strike and we will continue to ballot further bus companies until Boris Johnson listens up and engages in serious discussions for equal pay for all London bus workers.”

Arriva South and North, and East London and East Thames busses are being balloted this week in time for strike action planned on Wednesday 22nd October.