Workers Revolutionary Party
RATP bus workers on the picket line last month against wage cuts – Metroline drivers will be out on strike against remote sign on.
LONDON bus operator Metroline’s decision not to permanently drop its controversial ‘remote sign-on’ policy will lead to five days of strike action that will cause serious disruption to services in the north and west of the capital.
Unite the union has announced 48 hours of strike action by more than 4,000 bus drivers on Tuesday 25 May and Wednesday 26 May, to be followed by a 72-hour strike on Monday 7 June, Tuesday 8 June and Wednesday 9 June.
Unite gave Metroline bosses nearly three weeks’ warning to drop its policy because of health & safety concerns regarding its members and the travelling public – or face industrial action.
More bus driver strikes are to hit London later this month Five more days of bus strikes have been announced in London with unions angry at bus operator Metroline over its controversial remote sign-on policy. More than 4,000 bus drivers will walk out for 48 hours this month, and a further 72 hours in June, after Metroline s decision to not permanently drop the policy. Whilst these strikes will primarily affect routes in the north and west of the capital, they follow weeks of walk-outs across south London by drivers employed by London United over pay. Now Unite say Metroline have refused to drop its controversial remote sign on policy despite three weeks warning of industrial reaction, and say the health & safety of our members must be our paramount consideration.”
Five days of strike action on London’s buses were announced by the Unite union today.
The action, in response to Metroline failing to permanently drop its “remote sign-on” policy, is expected to cause serious disruption to services.
The union confirmed that there will be 48 hours of walkouts by more than 4,000 bus drivers in the north and west of the capital between May 25 and 26, followed by a 72-hour strike from June 7 to 9.
It comes after 96 per cent of Metroline West and 97 per cent of Metroline Travel members voted to take industrial action last month.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has instructed Transport for London (TfL) bosses to introduce an immediate moratorium on “remote sign on,” but the bus company is yet to commit to scrapping the policy in the long term.
LONDON bus operator Metroline faces a summer of strikes if it fails to scrap its proposed remote sign-on policy, the Unite union warned today.
The move, which would force drivers to start work away from the depot, is already on ice thanks to a moratorium imposed by London Mayor Sadiq Khan. But Metroline has told drivers that the policy’s introduction has merely been paused.
The union warned the firm today that it must confirm by May 10 that the policy has been dropped permanently or face a rolling programme of stoppages by more than 4,000 drivers.
Unite’s Metroline members have already voted by huge margins for action against remote sign-on, which would boost the company’s profits at the expense of workers’ comfort.