One pay rate protest

Unite London bus workers were absolutely resolute today (January 13) as they braved the chilly damp dawn in their ongoing battle for pay fairness.

Picket lines – like the one pictured above in Camberwell – were in place across London’s 70 bus garages as over 20,000 bus workers working for 18 bus operators took part in a 24-hour strike to end unfair pay disparities across the capital’s bus network.

There was solid support for the strike with reports in the media that just 30 per cent of buses were running this morning.

The strike has been caused by a refusal by the operators to address pay inequality has led to pay gaps of over ÂŁ3 an hour for new starters opening up, with pay varying from ÂŁ9.30 to ÂŁ12.34 an hour depending on the company.

Depth of anger

“Today’s strike action has been solidly supported and illustrates the depth of anger over the huge pay disparities among the people who keep London on the move 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Unite regional officer Wayne King.

“Strike action is always the last resort, but the refusal of London’s bus operators to engage in collective talks has caused today’s disruption to the travelling public.

“Bus passengers pay the same fare, so why shouldn’t bus drivers be paid the same rate?”

And it’s not just Unite that thinks this – according to an independent survey two thirds of London bus passengers think the capital’s bus drivers should be paid the same.

The survey of 1,645 passengers by Mass1 for Unite, gives public backing to the bus workers’ campaign to end unfair pay disparities and secure one agreement for pay and conditions across London’s 18 bus operators.

Different pay rates

In contrast to tube drivers, there isn’t one collective pay deal for bus drivers in the capital, whose pay is negotiated on a company by company basis leading to pay inequality and disparities.

When you consider there are over 80 different pay rates covering London’s bus drivers, doing the same job – some even driving the same route but for different rates of pay – it hardly seems fair.

Unite is urging TfL and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to ‘bang the bus operators’ heads together’ to get them to sit down collectively with the union to resolve the dispute.

“TfL and the Mayor need to take a look at the streets of London today and bang the bus operators’ heads together to end the pay inequality on London’s buses,” said Wayne King.

“The bus operators can well afford to tackle the pay inequality and we would urge them to collectively get around the table and start talking about a fair deal for London’s bus workers.”