‘Bosses don’t care about our health,’ say striking London bus drivers

Strikers had been in excessive spirits on the Park Royal storage in west London (Pic: Man Smallman)

The London bus drivers’ strike over pay and dealing situations continued to enrage the bosses on Wednesday.

Round 2,200 Unite union members walked out on Monday in three branches of the outsourced bus working firm RATP—London United, High quality Line and London Sovereign. The motion considerably decreased bus providers from the depots in west and south London.

Managers had been seen working buses in an try to keep up service.

Staff at London United might face pay cuts of £2,500 a 12 months, decreasing wages to 2015 ranges, if a brand new contract is launched.

High quality Line drivers at the moment earn £2.50 per hour lower than different RATP branches. The brand new contracts will see a measly pay enhance of simply seven pence an hour.

London Sovereign employees will strike once more on 3 and 10 March.

Alan, Unite rep on the Fulwell department, instructed Socialist Employee, “Our pay is being taken away from us and I do not know why they’d do this at this explicit time.

“Particularly as most of us have been working full time all through the pandemic. We have misplaced a couple of pals and had individuals on this storage get very ailing with coronavirus.

“It is unhappy to see and the corporate simply would not respect that in truth—they’re punishing us.

“They know it is a service run by individuals, however they are saying that it is really a enterprise and that is the place the issue lies.

“The well being of the employees is not thought of, it is only a enterprise resolution.

He added, “The brand new contract will take away our day by day allowance, security allowance in addition to extending our unpaid meal break to an hour. This could add as much as £2,500 misplaced a 12 months.

“In the meantime the bosses have been given large bonuses and rewarded their shareholders.

“As soon as upon a time, London United was the most effective corporations to work for. They’re one of many worst now.”

Threatened 

The union additionally says that bosses have threatened drivers with zero hour contracts. Unite regional officer for RATP Michell Braveboy stated, “The dispute concerning the zero contract hours has additionally not been resolved.

“Our members don’t have any possibility apart from to combat again in opposition to these assaults, whereas recognising the disruption induced.”

Stop the deaths of London bus drivers

Cease the deaths of London bus drivers

One other driver in north west London instructed Socialist Employee, “It is onerous to be out on strike this time of 12 months.

“However it’s only one factor after one other because the service was bought to RATP.

“Being up in opposition to the virus has been difficult for everybody. There’s the bodily well being aspect of it however, additionally not with the ability to have job safety in a difficult time impacts our psychological well being.”

In the meantime, round 400 Manchester bus drivers plan an all-out steady strike in opposition to a fireplace and rehire plan from Sunday.

Go North bosses wish to sack and rehire the employees on worse contracts, which would come with a ten % pay reduce.

The Unite union members had voted by 82 % for strikes.

Bus drivers have seen first-hand how bosses put revenue earlier than well being and work situations. The strikes have the facility to problem the bosses. 

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