Roster change bus strike

Unite London bus members working for Tower Transit will be staging the first of two 24-hour stoppages this Friday (August 26), over the imposition of roster changes and a failure by an increasingly hard line management to commit to constructive industrial relations.

Over 1,000 drivers, engineers and controllers at the Atlas Road bus depot in Park Royal, the Westbourne Park bus garage and the Lea interchange bus depot are involved in the dispute which affects 28 bus routes and follows an 89.8 per cent vote in favour of strike action.

The second 24-hour stoppage of the dispute is scheduled for Bank Holiday Monday (August 29) disrupting Notting Hill carnival goers planning to travel by bus.

The stoppages follow mounting frustration among workers, who are angry over a lack of consultation over roster changes which are leaving them out of pocket, as well as the non-payment of correct rest day working pay rates.

The two strikes are expected to affect services from the very early hours on Friday 26 and Monday 29 August as drivers scheduled to start their shifts stay away from work.

Commenting Unite regional officer Simon McCartney said, “Tower Transit bus workers have reached breaking point over an increasingly belligerent management who have turned their back on constructive consultation and dialogue.

“Instead workers now face the imposition of changes to their rosters leaving them out of pocket and rearranging their family life. To add insult to injury bus workers have also found themselves short changed when doing overtime on a rest day.

“Our members take great pride in keeping London on the move 24 hours a day and deserve better. Tower Transit management needs to start listening to its workforce and adopt a more constructive approach by engaging positively with Unite to resolve this dispute,” he added.

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