Berkay Kartav, South West London Socialist Party
Bus drivers in south London were on strike on 28 and 29 March after rejecting a pathetic 1.5% pay offer from Arriva bus company. If the dispute is not resolved, Unite the Union is planning further strike action.
98% of drivers voted in favour of strike action against this pay offer – a real-terms pay cut.
Even the threat of a strike brought the employers to the negotiating table, and they doubled their derisory pay offer to 3%. Given the fact that inflation is 8%, workers have rejected the ‘pay cut’ offers and demanded a decent pay rise.
Hundreds of bus drivers in Croydon, Thornton Heath and Norwood took strike action, causing severe disruptions in south London. Socialist Party members were on the picket lines supporting the strikers.
Workers shouldn’t pay for the cost-of-living crisis. There should be an immediate above-inflation pay rise for bus drivers to make up for below-inflation pay rises over the last decade.
