Bus control room staff in south London are set to strike for six days in a row over pay.
The Unite trade union says this will cause significant disruption to at least 18 bus routes: the 24, 27, 111, 156, 159, 267, 285, 322, 344, 345, 415, 490, 969, H20, H25, H26, R68, and the R70.
An Abellio representative said: "It is disappointing to see Unite take strike action following an unconditional offer of a 5 per cent increase in salary, back paid to January 2023."
Abellio operates more than 800 buses across six depots in London, carrying over 150 million customers every year on behalf of Transport for London (TfL). The Abellio representative said its pay offer was similar to increases given to other staff.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Abellio’s poor pay offer will bring chaos to London as our members take strike action to fight for better pay.
“Abellio has hundreds of millions of pounds of revenue from lucrative London bus contracts and yet it is trying to short-change some of its most vital staff. It needs to understand our members won’t stand for it.”
So when are the London bus strikes and what has motivated them? Here is everything we know:
When are the London bus strikes?
Strikes are set to begin this coming Friday (January 19).
Staff with the Unite union at Abellio depots in Battersea and Twickenham will strike on January 19 and 26 and on February 2, 9, 16 and 23.
Who is striking and why?
Around 40 control room staff and managers are expected to strike after rejecting a five per cent pay increase for 2023 and into 2024, partially backdated. They said it was a "real-terms pay cut".
These are workers who work in the control rooms for Abellio buses. They control the bus routes, instruct drivers on traffic jams or accidents, and "ensure overall safety on the routes". They use high-tech satellite GPS systems to monitor bus routes across London.
Unite regional officer Maxine Loza said staff had rejected the deal because: "(These staff members) already earn approximately £10,000 per year less than similar staff at other bus companies and have been offered a smaller pay increase than that offered to members doing the same job at competitor companies.
"These workers provide an absolutely vital service to bus drivers and passengers. Yet Abellio is treating them with disdain with this pay offer.
“Abellio needs to come back to the table with an improved offer to avoid ruining the journeys of millions of Londoners. Abellio is to blame for this strike and they need to fix it.”
The BBC reported that TfL's Rosie Trew said bus services would be available during strike days, but routes might be busier than normal.
What other transport strikes are coming up?
There are a series of strikes planned for national rail routes in a dispute between Aslef, the train drivers’ union, and train operating companies.
These will take place between Tuesday, January 30, and Monday, February 5, affecting different operators on separate days.
Drivers will strike at Southeastern, GTR Southern/Gatwick Express, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, SWR Island Line, and South Western Railway main line and depot drivers on January 30.
Strikes will take place on Northern Trains and TransPennine Trains on Wednesday, January 31, and on C2C, Greater Anglia, and LNER services on Friday, February 2.
Walkouts will also take place on Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, and West Midlands Trains on Saturday, February 3, and at Chiltern, CrossCountry, and GWR on Monday, February 5.
At the time of writing, there was no industrial action planned for the London Underground. This followed the suspension of Tube strikes earlier this month (which were supposed to take place from January 5 to January 11).
