Running Time: 4 mins 43 secs
Bus drivers in West London working for French company RATP have been forced into strike action to increase an insulting pay offer of just 0.5% – way lower than all the other bus companies in London. The offer amounts to a rise of just 7p an hour – and on top of that, drivers stand to LOSE up to £2,500 a year through changes in terms and conditions.
This is disgusting treatment for a workforce who have risked their lives to serve Londoners during the pandemic. Over 50 drivers have died and many more have been seriously ill with the virus – and every safeguard they now have, they’ve had to fight for. There are also concerns that sending the schools back on 8th of March will make life even more difficult, with schoolkids cramming onto buses once more.
Before privatisation, bus drivers were paid as much as tube drivers. Now they only earn around half that. RATP have plenty of money in the coffers to start redressing the balance.