Around 350 workers will walk out over a “disgraceful” pay offer
November will face five days of bus strike action(Image: Nigel Harris/Getty Images)
Hundreds of London bus workers will strike this month amid an ongoing dispute over a “disgraceful” pay offer. About 350 drivers, engineers and storemen employed by London Transit – part of First Bus – in Notting Hill will head to the picket line between today (November 14) and November 17-18/26-28.
Based at the Westbourne Park depot, the workers are said to be ‘furious’ at the below inflation package proposed by parent company First Bus. Transport for London has warned there will be little to no service on seven affected routes in Southwest, West and Northwest London – see the full list below.
Disruption will start from 5am on each strike day and last until 5am on the next non-action day. The strikes will also affect night buses and 24-hour routes.
Sharon Graham, general secretary of union Unite, said: “This is disgraceful behaviour from a company making millions from London bus passengers. It shows an utter disregard for its workers and the hard work they do day in, day out.
Several West London bus routes will see little or no service(Image: Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“Our members won’t stand for such behaviour and Unite will back them all the way in this dispute with a company that has a history of anti-worker behaviour.”
More than 2,000 bus workers previously took industrial action for four days earlier this autumn over the same pay row. Much of the disagreement comes from First Bus allegedly refusing to backdate all elements of the offer, meaning drivers lose out on hundreds of pounds of back pay.
At the time, a spokesperson said the provider is “disappointed” with the strike ballot result. They added: “Our enhanced, above-inflation offer with full back pay for all employees reflects the value we place on our people and our commitment to protecting them from the rising cost of living, even in the challenging financial environment we operate in.”
All other bus routes, Tube and rail services will run as planned during November’s strike action, but journeys may be busier than usual. Passengers are encouraged to allow more time for travel.
The 7 London bus routes hit by strikes
The seven routes likely to be affected during upcoming strikes are:
Don’t miss out on the biggest local stories. Sign up to our MySouthLondon newsletter HERE for all the latest daily news and more
