Notting Hill Carnival set for bus strike disruption as RATP fails to negotiate in pay dispute

Visitors to the Notting Hill Carnival this weekend are set to face severe transport disruption due to a bus strike in the local area.

Over 1,600 bus drivers based in West and South London are set to walk out for a second time on Sunday 28 August and Monday 29 August. This follows initial strike action on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 August.

The workers are employed by a British bus company, London United, which is wholly owned by the French company RATP. RATP is extremely lucrative and had a turnover of £4.8 billion in 2021 recording a profit of £174 million.

The dispute is a result of the workers only being offered a pay increase of 3.6 per cent for 2022 and 4.2 per cent for next year. With the real inflation rate (RPI) currently standing at 12.3 per cent, this amounts to a substantial real terms pay cut.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “RATP is an incredibly wealthy company it can fully afford to pay its workers a decent pay increase but it is refusing to do so.

“Our members play a vital role in keeping London moving and they are not going to accept a real terms pay cut when they are already worried about how to make ends meet.

“Our members will be receiving Unite’s complete support until this dispute is resolved.”

The latest strike action is set to go ahead as RATP have failed to enter into meaningful negotiations.

The bus workers operate from depots in Fulwell, Hounslow, Hounslow Heath, Park Royal, Shepherd’s Bush and Tolworth. The Park Royal, Shepherd’s Bush and Stamford Brook depots in particular serve routes which are in the vicinity of the carnival.

Unite regional officer Michelle Braveboy said: “Strike action will inevitably cause considerable disruption and delays across West and South London, including for the carnival, but this dispute is entirely of the company’s own making.”