Unite, the UK’s leading union, is warning that bus services in much of West and North West London are set to grind to a halt this autumn as workers are balloted for industrial action, due to a dispute over pay.
The dispute involves workers employed by French owed company RATP. This includes bus drivers at the Westbourne Park garage as well as engineers at the company’s 10 London garages, plus controllers and supervisors. In total, the union will ballot around 500 workers.
The ballot will open on Monday 14 August and closes on Monday 11 September, if the workers vote for industrial action, then strikes could begin before the end of next month.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “RATP is a huge multinational company that can fully afford to pay our members a decent pay increase. RATP needs to stop dragging its feet and make our members a fair pay offer.
“Unite does what it says on the trade union tin and it always puts the jobs, pay and conditions of its members first, the workers at RATP will be receiving Unite’s total support.”
The workers have rejected various pay increases of between five and 6.4 per cent, all of which are below the true inflation rate (RPI) which currently stands at 10.7 per cent.
The involvement of the controllers and engineers in the dispute is significant as if they take strike action then no buses will be able to operate from any of RATP’s 10 garages.
Unite regional officer Michelle Braveboy said: “Strike action will inevitably cause severe disruption to bus passengers across West and North London, but this dispute is entirely the own making of RATP’s management. They have had every opportunity to make an offer to meet our members’ expectations but have failed to do so.”
