Abellio London bus strikes to go ahead

Strikes scheduled for next week by bus drivers employed by Abellio in London are set to go ahead, in the long running pay dispute

The approximately 1,900 workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, will stage further walkouts on 1, 2, 3 February. The dispute will primarily affect bus services in South and West London.

The decision to go ahead with the strike action follows the rejection of two offers made by the employer, as they did not meet members’ expectations.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Abellio is an incredibly wealthy company, whose success is based on the hard graft of its workers. It can fully afford to make a fair pay offer which meets our members’ expectations, but it has failed to do so.

“Unite is unstinting in its commitment to defend the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and the workforce at Abellio will continue to receive the union’s unwavering support.”

Abellio, the Dutch owned multi-national transport company, is hugely wealthy and recorded profits of £350 million in 2021.

There have already been 20 days of industrial action in the dispute which began late last year.

The industrial action affects workers based at garages in Battersea, Beddington, Hayes, Southall, Twickenham and Walworth.

Unite regional officer Guy Langston said: “The forthcoming strike action will cause further severe disruption across London but this dispute is a direct result of the high handed and off-hand nature in which Abellio has conducted this dispute.”