‘The strike was properly solid! Only four buses went out of 142 buses,’ Unite Rep Mickey Leachman said when he spoke to News line at Lea Interchange Garage on the picket line about the strength of the bus workers’ pickets yesterday.
Bus workers across north, central and west London, came out on strike for better pay and to bring drivers’ and other grades performing identical jobs, up to London-wide pay levels which can differ by as much as £6000 a year.
Leachman continued: ‘We want one pay for all and equality. There are other bus companies which have balloted for industrial action and they will be taking place in the near future.
‘We would like to see all bus workers out together!’ he emphasised.
Unite Branch Secretary Jay Mistry told News line on the picket line at Westbourne Park Garage: ‘We have had low pay rises as long as I can remember and I’ve been here 15 years.
‘We now feel that we have more support from the union and because inflation is so high we are not accepting a low offer.’
Over 100 bus workers organised a mass picket of Northumberland Park Depot to demand a decent pay rise as part of a strike that saw a whole number of depots picketed and closed across, north, west and East London.
Edwin Affainie, shop steward for Northumberland Park said: ‘Our whole workforce is out on strike today to win our pay increase. They were offering us 3.5-4%, which we have turned down.’
He added: ‘The union leaders should have got all the unions out together today.’
