BUS workers were in high spirits yesterday on the second Friday out of four consecutive Fridays of strike action over low pay and management victimisation at the CT Plus bus garage in Hackney.
Motorists and passing buses tooted their horns in support to the cheers of the 50-strong lively picket.
Branch Chairman Ray Dewberry spoke out on the picket, he said: ‘We know that this is not going to be resolved quickly but we will be out as long as it takes!
‘They are stubborn managers, they are not even asking to talk to us.
‘They think that with their resolve they can break us but they have another think coming!
‘We will stay out for a year if it comes to it.
‘We are not going to give in to them and we are sick of it and we are not going to take it any more.
‘Our managing Director John McCall, in our pay talks, actually said “that’s life”, but he is on £100,000 a year after giving himself a 25 per cent pay rise.
‘We are calling for other bus companies to support us, really we should all come out together.
‘That includes other public services, tubes, firefighters, postmen – the lot!’
A bus worker on the picket who wished to remain anonymous for fear of management victimisation said: ‘This is our second day of strike action and we are stronger than last week and we are getting stronger as the strike goes on.
‘I would like to say a special thanks to News Line for covering our strike.
‘We deserve the extra pay. Everything in the shops has gone up. Electric bills and gas bills have gone up, everywhere you go it is expensive to travel.
‘Just to visit the West End costs a lot of money on the tube. Even a cup of tea is now £1!
‘The money we are on is very low and if you see other bus companies, and compare the pay, you will see that they have a much different rate of pay.
‘You will see that we are on very unfair pay and we get up very early sometimes. I have to often wake up at 4am. We work very hard and we will definitely win our strike.’
Another striker added: ‘We want a decent pay rise. We want rest day enhancement and weekend enhancement.
‘We want the bullying to stop, and if these managers think that our workers can be bribed with thirty quid – and as a result do a double shift – then they can forget it!’