London bus drivers to strike this week in a row over pay and conditions.
For those who use the London bus as your transportation, you need another plan. It is because the bus drivers this week are set to strike in a row over pay and condition.
A report said that more than 2,000 members of the Unite union who are employed by French-owned RATP will take action from Monday, 22 February.
RATP operates three subsidiaries across the London bus network, London United, London Sovereign, and Quality Line. Unite officer Michelle Braveboy said terms and conditions are being “attacked”, with some drivers facing a pay cut of £2,500 a year. She added that the strikes will cause “serious disruption” to services.
Workers at London United, which presents bus services in south and west London, will strike for three days from Monday 22 February, while those at Quality Line, based at a depot in Epsom, Surrey. Unite members at London Sovereign, which runs services in north-west London, will walk out on and again on March 3.
Ms Braveboy said: “Our members have no option other than to fight back against these attacks while recognising the disruption caused. They are reluctant to take strike action at a time of national emergency, but feel they have been pushed against the wall.” About 59-day routes, six 24-hour routes, six-night routes, and nine school routes, mainly in south-west London, will be affected by the strike.
Claire Mann, Director of Bus Operations at TfL, said, “Customers should check before they travel and leave more time for their journeys while remembering the Government’s advice to continue to stay at home if they can. We urge all parties to sit down and talk through the issues to try and resolve them as soon as possible.”