UNIITED KINGDOM: London bus drivers stage a 24-hour walkout demanding an Olympic bonus for working in the capital over the summer Games

Record ID: 330974

  • Title: UNIITED KINGDOM: London bus drivers stage a 24-hour walkout demanding an Olympic bonus for working in the capital over the summer Games
  • Date: 23rd June 2012
  • Summary: "FAIR PLAY FOR BUS PLAY" PLACARD (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOANNE TOFTS, STRIKING BUS DRIVER, SAYING: "We don't see why everybody else should the Olympic payout, you know, 500 pounds or more when we are not getting anything at all." BUSES LINED UP INSIDE BUS DEPOT WEST HAM BUS GARAGE SIGN MORE OF BUSES LINED UP INSIDE BUS DEPOT BUS DRIVING ROUND CORNER WITH "NOT IN SERVICE"SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (English) NASIMUL NOORANI, STRIKING BUS DRIVER, SAYING: "Who is going to know actually how many people actually turn up during the Games and what our load and everything is, you know? With the traffic and the passengers and everything we have to deal with on a daily basis. With the train driver pushing a button, off he goes at the platform, but we have to deal with everything on the road and for that I reckon we should get paid a little bit more money during that time." (SOUNDBITE) (English) HARVEY COHEN, STRIKING BUS DRIVER, SAYING: "And this is why we are here today to be recognised for the extra money to know there is going to be extra workload, you know, we are professional, we want to give a hundred percent which we do and that is where we are coming from." DRIVERS WALKING TOWARDS PICKET LINE DRIVERS WAVING FLAGS AT PICKET LINE VARIOUS OF TOWER BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER THAMES TRAFFIC PASSING OVER LONDON BRIDGE VARIOUS OF COMMUTERS WALKING OVER LONDON BRIDGE BUS WITH 'OUT OF SERVICE' SIGN DRIVING OVER BRIDGE ELECTRONIC SIGN AT BUS STOP WARNING OF STRIKE VARIOUS OF BUS STOP WITH PEOPLE WAITING CLOSE ON BUS STOP SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (English) LONDON COMMUTER, SIMON JULES, SAYING: "I think they've got a point because the mayor's giving the tube drivers extra money so the bus drivers deserve it actually, I think they deserve a bonus." (SOUNDBITE) (English) LONDON COMMUTER, SONIA, SAYING: "I do have a bit of sympathy for them because of the tube strike...the tube drivers are getting an increase and the bus drivers aren't, so it is a little but unfair. So in a way you do have sympathy for them, but it's still annoying." (SOUNDBITE) (English) LONDON COMMUTER, VIVIAN, SAYING: "I can't see the reason why they should get extra pay. I mean, the job is more or less the same day and day out....I'm not getting any extra pay and I'm travelling all they from Peckham to Queen's Park so I really can't see the reason why they're asking for more money" VARIOUS OF COMMUTERS COMING OUT OF LONDON BRIDGE TRAIN STATION
  • Embargoed: 8th July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Employment,Sports,Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVA6CFR3E86TCUZ0LDRFOL8YE4AF
  • Story Text: London bus drivers began a 24-hour strike on Friday (June 22) in a dispute over Olympic bonus payments.
    The walkout by thousands of drivers, representing 85 percent of the bus workforce, is to demand an extra 500 pound payment for each worker during the London 2012 Games, in recognition of the extra passengers they will be inevitably carrying.
    At a main bus depot in the East End of London, the West Ham Bus Garage, drivers waved flags and blew whistles in defiance at their employers.
    "This is all about the Olympics bonus award for the London bus workers, that's what we are asking for. We are not asking for that much. If the mayor and Transport for London can award other transport workers involved we deserve the same thing, as we are the more vulnerable frontline bus drivers, bus workers and we deserve it," said Ismael Kanu, Unite union representative.
    Train drivers have already struck deals to get Olympic bonus payments, ranging from 500 pounds to 900 pounds per worker on the Heathrow Express, Network Rail and London Underground, which is also known as the tube.
    "We don't see why everybody else should the Olympic payout, you know, 500 pounds or more when we are not getting anything at all," said striking bus driver Joanne Tofts.
    Unite estimates it would cost £14m to provide a £500 bonus for every bus driver.
    The Mayor of London negotiated that the Olympic Delivery Authority earmark an extra 8.3 million to offer to bus drivers, but Unite rejected this sum.
    Drivers estimate their workload will increase dramatically during the Games, especially if there are problems on overcrowded tube trains.
    "Who is going to know actually how many people actually turn up during the Games and what our load and everything is? With the traffic and the passengers and everything we have to deal with on a daily basis....We have to deal with everything on the road and for that I reckon we should get paid a little bit more money during that time," said Nasimul Noorani.
    A few of the 17 bus companies were still running buses after winning an injunction banning drivers from striking. Transport for London estimated that a quarter of services were running.
    At London Bridge station some commuters had sympathy for the striking bus drivers.
    "The tube drivers are getting an increase and the bus drivers aren't, so it is a little but unfair. So in a way you do have sympathy for them, but it's still annoying," said one woman called Sonia.
    Others were cross that the bus drivers were holding the city to ransom.
    "I can't see the reason why they should get extra pay. I mean, the job is more or less the same day and day out....I'm not getting any extra pay and I'm travelling all they from Peckham to Queen's Park so I really can't see the reason why they're asking for more money," said Vivian.
    This is the first time bus drivers have been on strike city-wide in 30 years.
    Union leaders are not ruling out striking during the Olympics if their demands are not met.
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