There is set to be disruption to London bus services as over 150 bus workers at Transport for London are being balloted for strike action over roster changes.

The Unite members involved in the dispute work in bus operations as bus station controllers and network traffic controllers, both safety critical roles at TfL.

The local government body has decided to push ahead with roster changes on these workers, which will see increased weekend working.

 Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Our hardworking members at TfL do an important role in keeping bus passengers safe and services running well, but they have been rewarded with rota changes that will severely impact their work/life balance and even leave them at risk of being disciplined for a situation not of their control.

"This situation is unacceptable and TfL must change course or face a highly disruptive strike. Our members at TfL have the union's full unwavering support during this dispute."

Meanwhile, it will also include further travel to sites that teams haven’t previously covered. In some cases members are likely to be disciplined as they physically cannot get to sites they have now been rostered, while it will also create further issues with fatigue and stress.

Bus station controllers manage bus stations, dealing with incidents, accidents and public enquiries, while network traffic controllers are responsible for the smooth running of the network including bus stop closures and diversions due to road traffic or emergencies such as collisions.

Buses are the most used form of transport across the whole of the TfL network. On average, they carry around 6.5 million passengers each day - accounting for more than half of all bus journeys made in England - yet a team of under 200 people is responsible for their safety.

The dispute comes as London mayor Sadiq Khan is at the forefront of Vision Zero, which sees major cities around the world aiming to end deaths and injury on their roads. The mayor's transport strategy has set out the goal that by 2041 all deaths and serious injuries will be eliminated from London's transport network - yet TfL is pushing rotas that will leave workers responsible for safety fatigued.

The ballot opens on 23 March and closes on 13 April. Any strike action could coincide with action being taken by the RMT on the London Underground on 23 and 24 April as well as escalating dates into May and beyond.

Strikes will be very disruptive as the tube will see cancellations and delays meaning more Londoners will be using buses, but there will be no staff present at bus stations and nobody responsible for risk assessing bus routes and rerouting them if needed.

Unite regional officer Nadine Edwards said: "We know people who use London public transport will be alarmed to hear of these strikes but any industrial action is the fault of TfL who is refusing to take our members' concerns about these changes to conditions seriously.

“While mayor Sadiq Khan is talking about keeping London’s roads safe, in reality TfL bus workers will be left more fatigued and stretched while doing their essential jobs should these detrimental roster changes go ahead. We are urging TfL to reconsider.”

ENDS 

For media enquiries ONLY please contact Unite press officer Natasha Wynarczyk on 07970081524

Email: natasha.wynarczyk@unitetheunion.org