Buses

Picket at Westham by 'Busworker' Blog

Thousands of London bus workers are taking industrial action today in a dispute over a fair bonus for the extra workload during the Olympics.

Around 85% of the bus workforce from 17 companies are involved in the action today, with TfL listing scores of bus routes as affected, were they say cycling or walking would be the better option. Presumably they don't suggest using the tube as there is a risk of services being dangerously overcrowded.

From RMT & TSSA representatives on the Stations And Revenue Control Safety Council

Many of you will be aware that all bus companies serving London may be on strike this coming Friday (at the time of writing this a deal may be be on offer).

We met with management today to raise concerns about overcrowding on stations and the knock on effect. Management have stated that they feel the existing arrangements in place for crowd control are acceptable.

"It is a scandal that this group of fellow transport workers have been kicked in the teeth by TFL and the bus companies when it comes to a fair reward for the extra work load generated by the Olympics" - Bob Crow

TUBE AND RAIL UNION RMT warned today of a “massive impact” on services on Friday as millions of passengers try to find alternative means of travel as a result of the bus workers strike for Olympics pay justice.

This morning, Central Line services were again reduced to chaos due to a signal failure at Liverpool Street as the harsh reality that the network can barely cope with routine demand after successive waves of cuts to maintenance and staffing, let alone a surge in passenger numbers from either the bus workers action or the Olympics, was laid bare.

The 69th National Busworkers Conference will be held on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st April 2012 at Croyde Bay Holiday Village, Croyde, North Devon, EX33 1QB.

Conference will be composed of duly elected delegates from branches with bus membership. Each branch with less than 100 members may send two delegates. Branches with more than 100 members may send two delegates for the first 100 with one additional delegate for every 100 members or part thereinafter.

Boxing Day pay deal at Metroline 2011.

In 2010 the Boxing Day pay was £422 as an average.
In 2011 it is £303 as an average.

A difference of £119 less for the drivers compared to 2010.

This is a -28.2% reduction in their pay!!!

The total duties worked on Boxing Day 2011 at West Perivale Garage excluding the new 105 route was 94.

A pair of pickpockets who stole £400 from a 75-year old woman have been jailed for five months.

Nedyalka Mihova, 38, and her daughter-in-law Ivanka Mihova, 21, pleaded guilty at Ealing Magistrates court to theft and were sentenced on Tuesday 22nd March 2011.

On October 30th 2010, the victim boarded the number 427 bus in Southall Broadway after withdrawing £400 from the bank. Nedyalka and Ivanka followed the pensioner onto the bus and stole the cash from her handbag before leaving the bus.

Leafleting will take place on Saturday 14th May 2011 outside The Original Tour company's shop, The Original London Visitor Centre, 17-19, Cockspur Street, Trafalgar Square, London, SW1Y 5BL, from 10am, in support of Zara Senkan, who was sacked by The Original London Sightseeing Tour Ltd.

The Original London Sightseeing Tour bus company dismissed Zara Senkan shortly after she put in a grievance about numerous instances of sex discrimination.

The 68th National Bus Workers Conference will take place on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th April at The Exeter Arms, Rydon Lane, Middle Moor, Exeter, Devon, EX2 7HL.

Driver Alarms, Fines Pool Subscriptions, Driving Regulations, TUPE clarification and the RMT diary are among the resolutions at this years conference.

Transport For London's commissioner Peter Hendy was recently interviewed by Dave Hill for The Guardian.

In the interview Hendy says that TFL will be facing cuts in its budget of 21% over the next few years. Future job losses are discussed with Hendy foreseeing that "The other thing you take a hit on is the cost of running the place. We will be doing less in some areas, so we will need less people to do it"

On March 31st 2010, Abdul Omer Mohsin was sacked for being an effective union rep at London Sovereign. London Sovereign is owned alongside London United by the Transdev group.

Omer began working at London United in February 2003 and transferred to London Sovereign in July 2007. The wages at London Sovereign were about £4,000 a year less than those paid at London United. Omer made his colleagues aware of the huge gap in wages and began to organise a campaign for parity.