London buses come to standstill over Olympic pay
Friday, 22 June 2012 8:02 AM
The London bus strike begins today
Bus workers in London are on strike today, in a dispute over bonus pay for working during the Olympic Games.
The strike is expected to cause travel disruption across the capital until the end of the night shift on Saturday June 23rd.
Transport for London (TfL) said staff and volunteers would be at key bus stations and on streets to advise passengers and hand out walking maps.
Victoria, St Pancras, Waterloo, Liverpool Street and London Bridge, will also be operating marshalled taxi ranks.
Bus workers are the only London transport workers not receiving an award for their extra effort during the Olympic Games. In contrast, London Underground staff will receive at least £850, whilst BAA staff could earn up to £1,200 in bonuses.
Peter Kavanagh, the Unite regional secretary for London, commented: “Bus workers are on the frontline of London's transport system dealing with millions of passengers yet all TfL has done so far is insult them. TfL's Leon Daniels, who earns £234,000, accused bus workers of being 'reprehensible' even though he himself is in line for a £80,000 bonus tied to the Olympics.
"There is no moral or economic justification for treating bus workers like second class citizens. There is a clear precedent for rewarding bus workers for keeping London moving over the Olympics."
TfL advise commuters to check for disruption before they travel.
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