Over the last few months Trades Councils have been supporting action by London bus workers over attacks on their pay and conditions and cuts. After praising bus workers for their keeping the service going despite the death toll from Covid of over 52 drivers, employers have been seeking to impose various cuts and new practices. Trades Councils have been out on picket lines and holding solidarity meetings showing solidarity with the UNITE members taking action.
Planned London bus strikes set to begin on 25 May were called off following proposals which will halt remote sign-on at Metroline.
The dispute involving more than 4,000 bus drivers was a result of Metroline’s plans to introduce the controversial system, in which drivers do not report to a depot but meet a bus along a route, such as at a bus stop. Unite’s members had recorded over a 95 per cent yes vote in favour of industrial action on the matter and have now voted by over 80 per cent to accept the new proposal.
Unite regional officer Mary Summers said: “This is an excellent result for our members at Metroline who were rightly fearful of how remote sign-on would affect their pay, health and wellbeing. By standing together in solidarity, our members have forced Metroline to return to the negotiating table think again and drop their remote sign-on plans for now.
The level of anger expressed by Metroline workers demonstrates how deeply unpopular and potentially dangerous remote sign-on is among London bus drivers.”
Because bus drivers are only paid for driving time, remote sign-on amounts on average to a seven per cent cut in pay. It also means there are no checks on whether a driver is fit to drive a bus, raising severe safety fears. There are deep concerns that with drivers needing to drive longer to make up the shortfall in wages, coupled with being denied access to toilets, canteens and rest areas, remote sign-on will greatly increase fatigue levels and result in a higher level of ill health and road traffic accidents.
