Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Tomorrow's Bus Strike
Allegedly for 24 hours but no information on the BBC News website. Will the service start winding down this evening and will it gradually start up again on Wednesday morning, or is it literally 12 midnight to 12 midnight ?
My friend is a self-employed cleaner who has to work tonight from 10pm -12 midnight: from 8 am-12 noon tomorrow and yet again from 7pm -9 pm tomorrow. She will work on Wednesday ( if there are any buses running yet ) from 8 am. Tube is not an option.
This means, to help her. I will have to take her to work tonight and bring her back again at midnight: take her to work tomorrow and bring her back again ( twice ): and probably have to take her to work on Wednesday morning.
All this, because 16% of the eligible bus workforce voted for strike action.
Their beef is not with me, or any other member of the travelling public but with the management, so why are we being made to suffer ? What do they imagine we can do to improve their conditions and pay ? If the management won't listen to the Unions, will they listen to one hard-working but low-paid cleaner who just needs to get to her job ?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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John, the dispute is about the 18 bus companies in London paying staff different rates (up to £3 an hour difference in some cases) for doing the same job, even driving exactly the same bus route. As the management of the 18 companies have refused to even meet to discuss the issue I'm not sure what other action the drivers could take to try to force the issue.
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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Well Michael, I think hitting the soft target of innocent and powerless third parties is not the way to do it.
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Permalink Reply by StephenBln on
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@ John D - What would you then suggest the bus drivers do?
Take a look at this:
The print date at the bottom August 1970 compared with 2013 (latest date available):
Then it because apparent what Thatcher's privatisation of public services has meant for those that work in them.
I suggest you take a tip from your tory friend Tebbit - 'Stop complaining and get on your bike'.
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And of course there were no strikes when all bus services in London were run by the same company and there was a Labour government ?
You may think my complaint is selfish - and, as far as it concerns me, it may well be. But are the other millions similarly inconvenienced selfish too ?
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Perhaps they should. Especially when dealing with shites like this, who try to intimidate rather than negotiate:
This is the reality of a privatised bus service in London.
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Permalink Reply by pamish on
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The TfL website which is usually accurate, either shows that none of the five routes I use is striking tomorrow, or they are being stubborn and blocking letting us know and plan. It could be that the whole thing will fizzle out, this has happened before. They have now listed those not involved: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/campaign/bus-strike
But if I look up eg the 476 (not on that list) tomorrow, it says no problems. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/
The latest info on the Unite site is this, Passengers back London’s bus drivers on eve of London-wide...
So both sides are crap at thinking of the passengers and what they need to know.
It's another result of fanatical ill thought-through privatisation, is all.
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Permalink Reply by Heather Martin on
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If it goes ahead, tomorrow's bus strike will impact me twice over. My mother (87 with a diagnosis of dementia) has carers who come to us in the morning and evening to assist with her getting up and going to bed. It is unlikely that they will be able to get to us. In addition, mum attends a day centre on Tuesdays and relies on a minibus to get her there and back, as well as the centre staff not being able to get to work. (This centre is one of the two remaining ones in the borough for people with dementia and its future is uncertain).
Having all this to contend with, I am afraid that the legitimacy or otherwise of the strikers' case does not mean very much to me.
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Nobody likes striking, but sometimes there's no other option.
You obviously use a service, take it for granted, but have never considered the conditions of those who have to provide it.
Like John D, it sounds pretty selfish.
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Looks like a objective description of the effect of the strike on an individual to me, rather than selfishness or taking things for granted.
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I'm not sure what else the drivers can do. If they go to work for a company paying higher wages the bus routes served by the lower paid drivers suffer by not having enough staff to run the service so you end up with longer term inconvenience. Sometimes the withdrawal of labour is the only option.
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Billy, we need to talk. I'm an accountant too so I also may need to put down my calculator and everybody's tax return which are due in at the end of the month.
Whilst I sympathise with their position, how far does this go - should all bus drivers across the whole of the UK get exactly the same pay. It doesn't work, different companies, different driving conditions, differing number of passengers etc etc.
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No, not countrywide, but those who work within the 'City State' Greater London for one 'Employer' (TfL) should. Just like all London Underground Train Drivers are.
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