Hundreds of London bus workers strike over pay

More than 350 bus workers across west London are striking over pay, causing disruption for commuters in the capital.

Drivers, engineers, and storemen are walking out on Monday, 29 September, after rejecting First Bus’s latest pay offer, which trade union Unite said was below inflation.

The routes operated from Westbourne Park that will be affected are: 13, 23, 31, N31, 218, 295 and 452.

Transport for London (TfL) says that the strikes will affect services from 5am on Monday to 5am on Tuesday, 30 September.

The transport body added that there is likely to be little to no service on affected routes. Local buses that are not directly affected by strikes are expected to be busier than normal.

The strike follows a walkout on Friday, 26 September, as well as two days earlier this autumn.

Unite’s general secretary Sharon Graham 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.

“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.”

A spokesperson for First Bus London told The Independent, “We are disappointed with the ballot result and the decision to reject our pay offer. Strikes will cause inconvenience to the public and loss of earnings for our hard-working employees.

“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.

“We expect there to be little or no service on the affected routes, and we’re sorry for any disruption this may cause to people’s journeys. There will still be alternative travel options, but other routes may be busier than normal.

“We encourage those who are affected to plan ahead, allow extra time for their journeys and check before they travel using the TfL website or the TfL Go app.”

Read more: More bus workers to be balloted on potential strike action