Nearly 2,500 members working for the East London Bus Group took part in a 24-hour strike from 3am yesterday in a dispute over the company’s imposition of a zero per cent pay deal.
The garages affected were: Barking; Bow; Leyton; Romford; Upton Park; and West Ham.
Unite has been in discussions with the company on pay since April 2009 and after a couple meetings, the company decided that it would impose a pay freeze.
Unite members disagreed and voted to reject the offer and to take strike action.
There was a last attempt to reach a resolution and avert yesterday’s strike but these talks last Thursday failed.
There was a good-humoured mass picket of around fifty strikers outside the Bow garage with placards saying ‘For A Fair Day’s Pay For A Fair Day’s work’.
Unite member Graham Noakes told News Line: ‘I’ve been in the industry for 25 years.
‘This is the first dispute at this garage for about seven years.
‘We asked for a rightful annual increase to match inflation and management threw it back in our face.
‘The Macquarie Bank took over the company from Stagecoach two years ago and cut our Christmas bonus.
‘We didn’t get anything last year.
‘We felt insulted then. We expected our regular rise this year and it’s been turned down.’
Another picket, Adam Cole said: ‘We work a 12 hour “spread over” shift, which makes it a 13-14 hour day with travelling.
‘We have a three to five hours stand down in the middle of the shift.
‘The company wants to end payment for our stand down time.
‘But unless we live round the corner, we can’t go anywhere, there is not enough time so we have to hang about.
‘We’re fighting for our pay, we’re being offered a zero rise.’
Unite member Roy Custance added: ‘This strike is about management’s attitude to all working class people.
‘Because of the downturn, they think they can do what they like.
‘They want to increase our hours for no more money.
‘People are annoyed with management, who don’t want to talk to anybody.’
Unite regional industrial organiser, John Griffiths, said: ‘There are further strikes planned but we hope the company takes notice of today and returns to the negotiating table.’
