LONDON — “The strike is solid,” Jim Hart, Unite union representative at the Abellio Bus depot in Battersea, told the Militant Dec. 31. They’ve carried out 13 days of strike action since November, fighting against boss attacks on their wages and working conditions.
Some 950 drivers across all depots in London voted to strike. But since then “hundreds have joined the union, who weren’t members before,” striker Banjo Phillip said.
“It’s good, we all need to stick together,” said Zhakir Hussain, who has been a driver for Abellio for three years.
The workers are among the lowest paid bus drivers in London, but the dispute is not only over pay, it’s also about shift schedules and conditions. “It’s not acceptable that we work overtime for the same rate of pay,” Hussain said.
Eight further strike actions are scheduled in January.