London bus strike

Workers at the Battersea and Twickenham bus garages in South London are taking strike action after rejecting a poor pay offer. Around 40 staff, members of the Unite union who work in the control rooms for Abellio buses, are striking for six days across February.

The technically-skilled workers have been offered a 5% pay increase for 2023 by Abellio; a real terms pay cut. According to their union, they already “earn approximately £10,000 per year less than similar staff at other bus companies and have been offered a smaller pay increase than that offered to members doing the same job at competitor companies.” This is despite, Unite says, Abellio London declaring profits of over £4 million, from revenues of over £165 million.

Unite regional officer Maxine Loza said: “These workers provide an absolutely vital service to bus drivers and passengers. Yet Abellio is treating them with disdain with this pay offer.”