London bus drivers stage 24-hour strike over pay

Commuters in the UK capital, London, are facing chaos during the holiday rush as bus drivers have begun a 24-hour strike over pay and work conditions.

Members of Britain’s largest union, Unite, walked out at 00:01 GMT on Monday, affecting 13 bus routes in the eastern and central parts of the capital.

The striking workers are calling for equal pay as London’s 18 bus companies have individual pay deals with the government body Transport for London (TfL), which is responsible for public transportation in Greater London. The individual deals with the TfL have resulted in different pay for drivers on the same route.

A spokesman for the union said its members working for the Tower Transit bus company had no other choice and called on the employer to come to the “negotiating table and start treating its workforce with respect.”

“Faced with an increasingly hostile management, which is hell bent on driving down the pay, terms and conditions, our members have been left with little option but to take the unusual step of striking,” said Unite’s spokesman.

Meanwhile, London authorities have apologized for the disruption during the peak holiday season, urging commuters to check before they travel. The TfL also urged both sides to seek a quick and fair solution to the dispute.

The Monday strike is the first protest action over the dispute, with a second one-day strike planned for next week on January 5.