Skip to main content
BBC NEWS / LONDON
Graphics VersionBBC Sport Home
News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
UK Contents:  England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales | UK Politics | Education | Magazine

06:38 GMT, Friday, 12 September 2008 07:38 UK

Bus drivers stage 48-hour walkout

Bus drivers picket a bus garage

Commuters face travel disruption as hundreds of London bus drivers stage a second strike this month.

A 48-hour strike by First bus drivers began at 0000 BST on Friday, while workers from Metrobus began a 24-hour walkout from 0300 BST.

Union leaders are demanding a standard £30,000 salary for all bus drivers across the bus network.

But managers insisted that drivers are already getting a good pay deal following increases in recent years.

The pay of First's drivers increased by 34% between 2003 and 2007 and most earn more than £25,000 a year, according to company managing director Adrian Jones.

"I am very disappointed that Unite have asked our drivers, of whom a small proportion, (22%) voted yes to the strike, to sacrifice further days pay in pursuit of this utterly unrealistic claim."

Similarly, managers at Metrobus said their drivers were among the highest paid in the south-east with pay of up to £27,612, and salaries rising by more than 20% in five years.

But the Unite union said pay disparity between London's 18 different bus operators could be as much as £6,000. Sick pay, pensions and holiday arrangements also differed, it added.

Both companies said a handful of routes were running some services.

There are 120 routes affected by the strike.

First Group Buses - 48 hour strike:

West London: 9 (heritage service only), 10, 18, 23, 28, 31, 79, 83, 92, 95, 105, 187, 207, 223, 224, 226, 245, 282, 295, 328, 331, 414, 427, 487, 607, A10, E1, E3, E5, E7, E9, E10, PR2, U1, U2, U3, U4, U5, U10, N10, N18, N28, N31, N207.

East London: 58, 67, 91, 150, 165, 179, 191, 193, 212, 215, 231, 236, 252, 259, 299, 308, 309, 323, 339, 341, 357, 365, 385, 389, 399, 476, 488, 498, D6, D7, D8, RV1, W6, W10, W11, W12, N91.

Metrobus - 24 hour strike:

64, 119, 127, 130, 138, 146, 161, 181, 246, 261, 284, 293, 320, 336, 352, 353, 354, 356, 358, 359, 367, 405, 464, 612, 654, B14, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R11, T32, T33, X26



E-mail this to a friend
Related to this story:
Bus strikes cause misery (29 Aug 08 |  England )
Talks fail to prevent bus strike (28 Aug 08 |  London )
Bus drivers to strike in pay row (22 Aug 08 |  London )
Bus drivers rally over more pay (24 Jul 08 |  London )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
BBC London travel page
Unite
Metrobus
First
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites



SEARCH BBC NEWS: 

News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
UK Contents:  England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales | UK Politics | Education | Magazine

NewsWatch | Notes | Contact us | About BBC News | Profiles | History

^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©