London facing all-out bus strikes in Arriva pay dispute

Two thousand bus drivers to begin an all-out strike next month

Bus passengers across swathes of London are facing widespread disruption from early next month as bus drivers employed by Arriva begin strike action in a pay dispute.

The 2,000 plus drivers who are employed in the company’s North London division are seeking a pay increase in line with the real inflation rate (RPI) of 12.3 per cent.

Strike action will begin on Tuesday 4 October and will run continuously until the dispute is resolved.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our members at Arriva have generated huge profits for the company for decades. Arriva can afford to offer a pay increase that meets the real rate of inflation, but it has put profits before people and declined to do so. Unite will leave no stone unturned in the support given to our members during this dispute.”

The bus drivers are angry that the worsening cost of living crisis means that they are unable to keep their heads above water and meet the financial needs of their families. Bus drivers are increasingly being forced to live outside of London due to the combination of low wages and high living costs in the capital.

The dispute affects drivers operating from a total of eight depots Ash Grove, Barking, Clapton, Edmonton, Enfield, Palmers Green, Tottenham and Wood Green. The strike will affect routes throughout North London.

Arriva is owned by Deutsche Bahn which is one of the largest transport companies in the world and is effectively owned by the German government. In the last 10 years, Arriva’s UK bus division has paid £560 million to Deutsche Bahn in Germany in profit transfers.

Deutsche Bahn is extremely profitable. Over the last decade it has paid dividends of £5 billion to the German government.

Unite regional officer Steve Stockwell said: “Arriva has totally failed to address the strength of feeling among our members as they see their rates of pay eroded. The company needs to return to the negotiating table with an offer which meets workers’ reasonable expectations.”