Olympic victory for London bus drivers

This video from Britain is called London Bus Strike Solid.

By Richard Bagley in England:

Bus drivers score big win in Olympic bonus dispute

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Twenty thousand London bus workers arrive victorious at their depots today after defying right-wing smears, legal threats and media hysteria to secure a minimum £500 Olympic bonus from tight-fisted bosses.

An overwhelming majority backed a deal thrashed out following six days of talks and a 24-hour strike on June 22 that crippled bus services in the capital.

In the end the 20 private bus operators that operate the patchwork quilt of services across London agreed to cough up most of the £6.5 million required to meet the claim.

It represents a major victory for Unite the Union which has long sought to unify workers across the hotch-potch of bus privateers.

Public body Transport for London is understood to have provided the final push to the firms – which together amassed around £2 billion in profits last year – by offering a 50-50 split of increased revenue gained during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Over £8m had already been pledged out of Olympic contingency funds.

The deal endorsed by the bulk of members today will see full-timers guaranteed at least £500 extra for working shifts during the 29 days of the Games.

And many will get more – workers will get a £27.50 windfall each time they clock on during the games, handing some drivers up to £660 in bonus.

Triumphant Unite London regional secretary Peter Kavanagh told the Morning Star that it was a “great victory for our members and a huge boost in confidence.”

Mr Kavanagh said that “bus workers finally have a fair deal which recognises their contribution to keeping London moving over the Olympics.”

But he added that the network had been needlessly locked down by a 24-hour strike due to the reluctance of bosses to meet for talks.

It “could have been avoided if Transport for London and the employers did the right thing when Unite first approached them almost a year ago,” he said.

Bosses at the various companies finally agreed to joint negotiations after drivers backed strike action by a massive 94 per cent – with 100 per cent at Go Ahead’s Dockland Buses franchise – and followed it up with the walkout.

But Mr Kavanagh added that there was still disquiet among drivers after increasingly shoddy treatment by bus firms.

“There’s far bigger challenges on the horizon and with this renewed feeling of industrial strength the members are looking forward to rising to them.”

Hundreds of train drivers are holding three days of strikes during the Olympics in a pensions row which has been rumbling on for months: here.

London 2012’s motto might well be “inspire a generation” – but teens in the Olympic boroughs are being left behind, health researchers have found: here.

Protest planned over anti-gay Olympic states: here.

Blair, Olympic deals and the glimpse of another Britain: here.

Bahrain: British arms used to crush peaceful demonstrators as regime’s sadistic torturer allowed to attend Olympics: here.

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