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| Bus strike over Olympic pay disrupts London services | Bus strike over Olympic pay disrupts London services |
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| A 24-hour London bus strike has begun following the collapse of peace talks in a dispute over Olympics payments. | A 24-hour London bus strike has begun following the collapse of peace talks in a dispute over Olympics payments. |
| The walkout by thousands of members of Unite at 17 bus companies in pursuit of a £500 payment for working during the Games will hit most parts of London, disrupting travel for commuters and tourists. | The walkout by thousands of members of Unite at 17 bus companies in pursuit of a £500 payment for working during the Games will hit most parts of London, disrupting travel for commuters and tourists. |
| Transport for London (TfL) said, however, that more than a third of bus services were running. These are mainly in central, south and north-west London after a high court judge granted an injunction on behalf of three operators. It is understood that around 85% of the total workforce is on strike. | |
| Despite the injunction, Unite said thousands of bus workers would stage the first city-wide walkout since 1982, after peace talks at the Acas conciliation service failed. It said strikes by staff at the 17 remaining operators would go ahead because they were not affected by the injunction over balloting anomalies. | Despite the injunction, Unite said thousands of bus workers would stage the first city-wide walkout since 1982, after peace talks at the Acas conciliation service failed. It said strikes by staff at the 17 remaining operators would go ahead because they were not affected by the injunction over balloting anomalies. |
| Unite's regional officer, Peter Kavanagh, said bus operators were "refusing to enter into genuine and timely negotiations" over Unite's demands that bus workers receive a £500 payment in line with their peers on the London Underground, London Overground and Docklands Light Railway networks. | Unite's regional officer, Peter Kavanagh, said bus operators were "refusing to enter into genuine and timely negotiations" over Unite's demands that bus workers receive a £500 payment in line with their peers on the London Underground, London Overground and Docklands Light Railway networks. |
| Warning that strikes during the Games were possible, he said: "If the operators shirk their responsibilities now they will sow the seeds of massive anger and frustration across the bus network, inevitably leading to strife and industrial action during and way beyond the Olympic Games." | Warning that strikes during the Games were possible, he said: "If the operators shirk their responsibilities now they will sow the seeds of massive anger and frustration across the bus network, inevitably leading to strife and industrial action during and way beyond the Olympic Games." |
| The talks broke down despite the intervention of the London mayor, Boris Johnson, who has secured £8.3m from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to help settle the dispute. Unite's demands required a further £6m from the bus operators, the ODA and TfL. | The talks broke down despite the intervention of the London mayor, Boris Johnson, who has secured £8.3m from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to help settle the dispute. Unite's demands required a further £6m from the bus operators, the ODA and TfL. |
| Johnson said: "It seems to me that some militant union leaders remain hell-bent on strike action, and that is wholly unacceptable. I want the people of London and our honest and hard-working bus drivers to know that we've gone the extra mile, money is on the table, this offer is fair, but it is also conditional on drivers not taking strike action." | |
| Bus operators, who are paid a set fee for running services in London, insist that they could not afford to meet Unite's demands without a subsidy from TfL, which in turn argued that the dispute had to be settled by Unite and the operators. | Bus operators, who are paid a set fee for running services in London, insist that they could not afford to meet Unite's demands without a subsidy from TfL, which in turn argued that the dispute had to be settled by Unite and the operators. |
| Peter Hendy, the transport commissioner, said: "It is now clear that the leadership of Unite were intent on a strike all along. They have pursued this unnecessary course of action despite an extra £8.3m being brokered by the mayor that would allow every bus driver in London in a garage where one or more routes were affected by the 2012 Games to gain, over the 29 days of the competitions, about £500." | Peter Hendy, the transport commissioner, said: "It is now clear that the leadership of Unite were intent on a strike all along. They have pursued this unnecessary course of action despite an extra £8.3m being brokered by the mayor that would allow every bus driver in London in a garage where one or more routes were affected by the 2012 Games to gain, over the 29 days of the competitions, about £500." |
| He added: "We are now working together with our partners to ensure that Londoners and visitors have alternative travel options and the necessary advice to enable them to get around. I would advise everybody to use other transport services, to consider walking and cycling for shorter journeys and to check before travelling at www.tfl.gov.uk/buses." | He added: "We are now working together with our partners to ensure that Londoners and visitors have alternative travel options and the necessary advice to enable them to get around. I would advise everybody to use other transport services, to consider walking and cycling for shorter journeys and to check before travelling at www.tfl.gov.uk/buses." |
| The capital's bus network carries more than 6 million passengers on a weekday, compared with 3.5 million on the tube. TfL has accused Unite of "attempting to exploit the Games spirit and add a further multimillion-pound burden to the hard-pressed fare and taxpayers of London". |