London Bus Strike 2015 (Causes) – BBC London News

Today, there was a strike covered by the Unite Union for equal Pay. Bus drivers in London are taking part in a 24-hour strike as part of a campaign for a single agreement covering pay and conditions. Members of the Unite union at 18 bus companies walked out at 00:01 GMT. Transport for London (TfL) said about 33% of its 7,500 buses were running. Unite said with no collective pay deal there were 80 different pay rates for drivers doing the same job. But TfL said the action was "extremely disappointing". But Jake, a bus driver of one year, said he had gone on strike because he felt his wage was not good enough to support his life in London. He said: "My rate of pay is £9.30 an hour. I just want something that's a bit better. "It depends on the shifts I get per week [whether] I can take home £300 and rent in north London is like £1,000 a month." Unite said wages were negotiated on a company-by-company basis, meaning hourly rates could vary by more than £3. Continue reading the main story “Start Quote Passengers sitting side by side on the same route expect to pay the same fare, so why shouldn't drivers expect to be paid the same rate?” Wayne KingUnite Wayne King, London regional officer for Unite, said: "Strike action is the last resort. We've been forced into this position by the operators' refusal to even meet with us. "Passengers sitting side by side on the same route expect to pay the same fare, so why shouldn't drivers expect to be paid the same rate? "The bus operators need to stop pleading poverty in defending pay inequality and collectively start negotiating about a fairer deal for London's bus workers." London Mayor Boris Johnson, who does not have the same power over the bus network as the London Underground, defended the differential pay rates. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It is very, very sensible to have different pay rates across London. There are different working environments, different labour markets across the city. "It has been going on for a very long time. This is an attempt by the unions to gain power and they are doing it on the back of a very, very small turnout in the key vote concerned." But Unite retaliated by saying about 20,000 of its members had joined the strike, with picket lines at 70 bus depots and the mayor should "look at the streets of London today and recognise the depth of anger felt by bus workers". Mike Weston, TfL's Director of Buses, said: "I am very sorry that the leadership of Unite have chosen to disrupt the journeys of bus passengers. "As in all professions, bus drivers have different skills and experience and it is only right that this can be reflected in pay. "If all drivers are paid the average then by definition half of all bus drivers will need to take a pay cut. Any 'levelling up' of pay to the highest rates would lead to a cut in bus services, an increase in fares, or both." TfL said less than 16% of the bus drivers in London voted in favour of industrial action. The bus companies involved in the dispute are: Arriva North, Arriva South, Selkent, London General, Metroline, Metroline West, Metrobus, CT Plus, London United, Abellio West London, London Sovereign, Stagecoach, Blue Triangle, Northumberland Park, Tower Transit, Docklands and London Central. TFL Tube Strike January 2017