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London bus strike: Staff walk out over pay differences | London bus strike: Staff walk out over pay differences |
(about 13 hours later) | |
A strike by London bus drivers protesting at differences in pay has finished. | |
Members of the Unite union walked out at 00:00 GMT on Thursday but Transport for London (TfL) said about 47% of routes had remained operational. | |
It called the strike "totally unnecessary" but the Unite union said the pay system was in "chaos" and had to be changed. | |
It said there were large differences in pay between London's 18 bus companies. | |
Bus company Tower Transit said the union wanted firms to "act as a cartel", which they legally could not. | |
The strike came to an end at 0400 GMT on Friday. | |
Tfl said about 390 bus routes ran a service and some 2,650 buses had been on the capital's streets. | |
Bus services during the day on Friday should operate as normal. | Bus services during the day on Friday should operate as normal. |
The strike was the first of three 24-hour stoppages planned this month. The next are scheduled for 13 and 16 February. | |
Members of Unite want an end to differences between firms that can see staff salaries differ from £17,000 to £25,000. | |
TfL has said that changing this could cost up to £100m a year. In an open letter in the Evening Standard, it called the strike "totally unnecessary". | TfL has said that changing this could cost up to £100m a year. In an open letter in the Evening Standard, it called the strike "totally unnecessary". |
However Metroline bus driver Steve O'Rourke, who was on the picket line in Archway, called for the bus companies to take action. | However Metroline bus driver Steve O'Rourke, who was on the picket line in Archway, called for the bus companies to take action. |
He said: "It is very simple really, we are doing exactly the same job. | He said: "It is very simple really, we are doing exactly the same job. |
"We drive up and down the roads with places that other companies are running as well and yet we are on different rates of pay." | "We drive up and down the roads with places that other companies are running as well and yet we are on different rates of pay." |
Pete Kavanagh, London regional secretary of Unite, said: "We've got a two-tier workforce in which people coming into the industry in recent years never get to the top rate of pay. | Pete Kavanagh, London regional secretary of Unite, said: "We've got a two-tier workforce in which people coming into the industry in recent years never get to the top rate of pay. |
"We've literally got hundreds of rates of pay and this has got to stop." | "We've literally got hundreds of rates of pay and this has got to stop." |
The bus companies affected were Abellio, Arriva, CT Plus, Go Ahead, London Sovereign, London United, Metroline, Stagecoach and Tower Transit. | |
Leon Daniels from TfL said: "It's not a matter for TfL to step in on. | Leon Daniels from TfL said: "It's not a matter for TfL to step in on. |
"For the last 20 years, we've run a brilliant bus service as a result of local pay negotiation between the local drivers and their employers." | "For the last 20 years, we've run a brilliant bus service as a result of local pay negotiation between the local drivers and their employers." |