Unite lobby at City Hall to save London’s bendy buses
20th May 2009
Location: City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London, SE1 2AA
Date: Thursday, May 21st, 2009
Time: 8:30am
Unite members will lobby London mayor, Boris Johnson, during
mayor's question time (Thursday, May 21st) in their ongoing
campaign to push for answers to the unanswered questions raised by
the mayor's bendy bus policy.
According to Unite, the mayor's plans to do away with the
capital's bendy buses will lead to pay cuts for London’s bus
drivers.
Unite, the UK’s biggest transport union, believes that Boris
Johnson has failed to detail the significant extra cost of
replacing London's bendy buses with conventional buses, the extra
cost of which is certain to be paid for through the wage packets of
over 1,000 of the city's drivers for the ten years it will take to
pay for the replacement buses.
Ahead of the lobby, Peter Kavanagh, Unite regional industrial
officer, said: "When it comes to bendy buses, this mayor is very
strong on populist rhetoric, but dealing with the facts seems to
cause him rather more problems.
“He has never addressed the very significant cost of replacing
the bendy buses, which is strange for someone who claims he will
save Londoners money. Similarly, little or no thought has been
given to the impact of all these additional conventional buses on
congestion and pollution in central London.
"Our members and their families, who are now faced with
significant cuts in their income at this difficult time - in order
for the mayor to pay for this scheme - deserve an explanation for
this ill-thought out policy.
“Boris Johnson has described London’s bus drivers as ‘the
world’s finest’, yet his 10 year transport plan does not support
that claim. In looking for more cuts to bus services, he will
be expecting bus workers to pay for his policies through their wage
packets. This is not on and Unite will not stand by and allow
this to happen.”
Bus drivers will be lobbying outside City hall from 8:30am on
Thursday May 21st, holding placards and wearing t-shirts bearing
the message “Boris’ Bendy Bus Plans - Passenger Costs Up, My Wages
Down!”
ENDS
For more information contact Peter Kavanagh on 07980 721 422 or
Mark Di-Toro on 07918 640 579
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